Kazakhstan, Astana, May 8 / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution will be discussed during the Kazakh foreign minister's forthcoming visit to Baku, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zakir Hashimov told Trend on Tuesday.
"Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov's visit is preliminarily scheduled for late August," Hashimov said.
He said the minister will visit Azerbaijan upon the invitation of his counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
"The visit is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. During the visit, the past 20 years will be summarized and the prospects for the future will be discussed. One of the main issues of the meeting will be the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict," Hashimov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.