Azernews.Az

The Karabakh conflict has no other means of settlement except those that are peaceful, French Ambassador to Armenia Henri Reynaud said at a meeting with Yerevan State University students on Tuesday, Novosti-Armenia reported.

"There is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, and co-chair countries of OSCE Minsk Group are working hard to solve the problem. However, in reality, no one but the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides will be able to solve it," Renaud said.

He added that, there is no universal recipe of conflict settlement in the world, as each conflict has its own specific characteristics.

"I realize that it is very difficult, however, the Karabakh conflict should be resolved," the ambassador said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.