Azernews.Az

If Yerevan's position actually coincides with the OSCE Minsk Group's position, as Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian says, Armenia must immediately withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told Trend news agency.

"The OSCE Minsk Group indicated the call for withdrawing the occupation forces from the territory of Azerbaijan in its resolutions of 1993," he said.

Abdullayev said that Yerevan must also remember that heads of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries - the presidents of France, the U.S. and Russia have repeatedly confirmed in their statements, signed in L'Aquila, Moscow and Deauville, that maintaining the status quo in the region is unacceptable.

Earlier, the Armenian foreign minister stressed at a press conference in Moscow that Yerevan's position coincides with the OSCE Minsk Group's position.

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 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 Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.