Azerbaijani, Russian FMs mull Karabakh conflict resolution
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Moscow.
The talks took place on January 24 during Mammadyarov’s working visit, which was initiated by the Russian side, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry reported.
The sides had comprehensive discussions on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
They also exchanged views on the issues raised by the two countries’ presidents at the Vienna and Saint Petersburg meetings.
Mammadyarov reiterated Azerbaijan's position on the conflict settlement, stressing that the current status quo needs to be changed.
The ministers also discussed the prospects of development of the interstate relations and touched upon the issues that have arisen in the bilateral relations in recent days. The FMs agreed to always keep such questions in focus.
The sides also had broad exchange of views on the international agenda and other issues of mutual concern.
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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