Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18
By Anakhanum Hidayatova – Trend:
The UK Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the country’s 25th Independence Day.
The minister’s greetings were posted on the UK embassy’s official page on Facebook.
Duncan said the United Kingdom is the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan.
“The UK enjoys a close and strategic relationship with Azerbaijan,” he noted. “We remain committed to supporting Azerbaijan’s democratic development, security and prosperity. We look forward to building on this as we continue to work closely with the Azerbaijani government and people to strengthen our economic and cultural ties.”
The minister also said the UK fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and building a peaceful and prosperous future for Azerbaijan and its neighbors.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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