Russia, U.S. wield clout in Karabakh settlement - Turkey diplomat
MOSCOW – Turkey’s Ambassador in Moscow Halil Akinci has said Russia and the United States have more powerful leverage for influencing a settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh.
Akinci told Russia’s state news agency ITAR-TASS that Russia maintains very good relations with Baku and Yerevan and is working within the mediating OSCE Minsk Group to reach a solution of the long-lasting dispute. "But these efforts should be stepped up further. The Minsk Group co-chairs should be more resolute toward Armenia and should not remain indifferent, because the root-cause of this problem is Armenia."
The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988, when Armenia leveled territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Following a lengthy war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno Garabagh and seven regions surrounding it. The Minsk Group co-chairs - Russia, France, and the United States - have been brokering peace talks since a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994.
Armenia is still to enforce the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions demanding unconditional liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
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