Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. К.Ramazanova, E.Hyseyinli / Azerbaijan calls for Albania to maintain the UN Security Council's resolution and stop supplying Armenia with arms. "Supplying arms to Yerevan endangers the region. Baku Official is to submit a protest letter to Albania due to its supplying arms to Armenia," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists, Lider Channel informed. Recently, Turkey refused its territories being used for transporting arms to Armenia. The vessel with sixty containers, loaded with heavy artillery and ammunition, was delayed in the Istanbul port. The Minister stated that the Azerbaijani Government would submit the protest letter to the Foreign Ministry of Albania in reference to the delay of the Albanian vessel by the Turkish Government. "The text of the note has already been developed. We note that neither country can supply arms to Azerbaijan or Armenia (conflicting countries) in compliance with the resolution of the UN Security Council," the Minister added. The press reported that the representative of MEIKO company, who intended to supply arms to Armenia, has stated that selling arms to Armenia corresponds with the resolution. "Presently, we are considering other routes for transporting arms to Armenia," MEIKO's representative added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries broke out in 1988 as a result of Armenia's territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since 1992, some 20% of Azerbaijani territory (Nagorno-Karabakh and seven nearby regions) have been occupied by Armenian Armed Forces. In May 1994, a ceasefire agreement was signed between both sides. The peaceful negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States are on-going.