Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 18
By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:
Finding ways to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will remain the main task for Azerbaijan in 2019, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Dec. 18 at a reception for heads of the diplomatic corps, dedicated to results of 2018, Trend reports.
One of the important tasks was to strengthen Azerbaijan’s independence, he said.
Mammadyarov added that he devoted most of the time to finding ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The main goal is to achieve some tangible results, he said, noting that this is not only his dream, but he also thinks that this is a dream of every Azerbaijani.
He said that at the last meeting in Milan with his Armenian counterpart, the sides reached some kind of mutual understanding for the first time over a long period.
Mammadyarov noted that next month there will be a meeting with the Armenian foreign minister.
The Azerbaijani foreign minister added that ways to resolve the conflict will be discussed. Azerbaijan stands for the peaceful resolution of the conflict, he said.
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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