Azernews.Az

Nagorno Karabakh is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan, a European Parliament member has said, referring to an Azerbaijani region occupied by neighboring Armenia since a war in the early 1990s.

Ivo Vajgl told journalists in Azerbaijan’s frontline Aghdam region that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be resolved as soon as possible and internally displaced persons returned to their homes.

"The OSCE is making ample efforts to resolve the conflict," Vajgl said. "But the [OSCE’s] Minsk Group, with whose activity I have been familiar for 12 years, is unable to resolve this issue. The United States and Russia [brokering Karabakh settlement along with France] should make an effort to solve this problem. The European Parliament will also aspire to this."

Vajgl visited the Aghdam region as part of his visit to Azerbaijan on Monday. He met with IDPs to become familiar with their living conditions.

Nagorno Karabakh has been occupied by Armenian armed forces, along with seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions, since a 1994 cease-fire ended a brutal war that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted up to one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Years of OSCE-brokered peace talks have brought few tangible results.