Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov stressed the inadmissibility of the existing status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during a meeting with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, as well as a multilateral meeting with participation of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev told Trend.

"The two sides discussed issues on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," Abdullayev said. "At the meeting, the Azerbaijani side reiterated that at first the Armenian armed forces must be withdrawn from the occupied Azerbaijani territories to achieve progress in the conflict settlement.

"It was stressed during the meeting that the unresolved conflict is a threat to the restoration of peace in the region," Abdullayev added. "Therefore, the world community must increase pressure on Armenia to solve the conflict."

Earlier, a joint meeting of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen - Jacques Faure (France), Ian Kelly (USA) and Igor Popov (Russia) was held in Vienna.

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 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.