Azernews.Az

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has claimed Azerbaijan’s belligerent rhetoric endangers the ongoing talks to settle the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
"Azerbaijan is intimidating everyone by resolving the Garabagh conflict by military means. This not only jeopardizes the negotiations underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan but also raises a question mark over stability in the region," Sarkisian said in a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany on Tuesday. He also touched upon the issue during his meeting with representatives of the Armenian lobby in Germany.
"The Armenian government will not put pen to any plan on a solution [of the conflict] that would not serve the Armenians’ interests," Sarkisian said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been largely fruitless so far. Sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.*