Azernews.Az

A Russian presidential aide has said much effort should be made to resume civil dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia -- which have been facing a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s.

"Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have become very strained recently, and serious work should be done to resume the civil dialogue," Mikhail Shvydkoi, Russian President's Special Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation, told journalists on a visit to Baku on Thursday.

Shvydkoi said the will of the presidents of the countries facing the conflict is primarily necessary to make progress, adding that the future of the dialogue depends on compromises.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory since a brutal war in the early 1990s, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. Russia, France and the U.S., which co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, are brokering peace talks. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.