Azerbaijan, UK hold talks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan and the UK discussed the military cooperation and exchanged views over the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The discussions were held as part of Azerbaijan's Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov visit to London to meet with his British counterpart Michael Fallon.
The first ever official meeting between the defense ministers was organized on instruction of the Azerbaijani President, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.
Moreover, it was particularly emphasized that Azerbaijan takes an active part in events held both on a bilateral basis and within the framework of the NATO Program "Partnership for Peace", including peacekeeping operations.
The parties held a broad exchange of opinions on the military and military-technical cooperation between the two countries and discussed further prospects of cooperation.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.
Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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