Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Stalling negotiations on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will negatively affect the situation in the region, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said on December 19.

He made the remarks at a meeting with French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monnier, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported.

Referring to the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov said Armenia today continues its aggressive policy which has hampered the peace process.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. The occupation caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

French ambassador, for his part, congratulated the Azerbaijani minister on his new appointment and wished him success.

Monnier also expressed satisfaction with the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and France.

There was an extensive exchange of views on military relations between Azerbaijan and France and other issues of mutual interest during the meeting.

French military attaché accredited in Georgia and Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrée Evrard also attended the meeting.

Azerbaijan and France recently signed a deal on bilateral military cooperation between the two countries' defense ministries in 2014.