Azernews.Az

The European Union is willing to see progress in the negotiations on resolving the long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan said last week.

Roland Kobia told a press conference that the EU has taken specific measures to move the peace process forward, including the creation of the position of a special ambassador whose mission is to deal with Nagorno Karabakh settlement.

Kobia added that the EU is intensively holding dialog with Azerbaijan and Armenia in a bid to take steps toward promoting trust between the two countries.

Kobia stressed that the EU has proposed a package of confidence-building measures, but they have not yet been approved by any of the two governments.

``I hope they will accept these proposals in the near future and show their real commitment to solve the problem,`` he said.

Kobia also said the conflict has lasted for too long, expressing concern over the current tension on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, defying international calls and UN resolutions. Peace talks, brokered by the United States, Russia and France through the OSCE Minsk Group, have been largely fruitless so far.