Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization considers the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a threat to security and stability in the region.

William Lahue,the head of NATO Liaison Office in Georgia told reporters in Tbilisi on July 14 that the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a very difficult process.

He said that NATO doesn’t plan to be a mediator between the sides of the conflict, since mediation in such negotiations is not among the tasks and powers of NATO.

Nevertheless, the alliance fully supports the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of this conflict, Lahue added.

NATO has repeatedly voiced its preference for a peaceful settlement over an armed intervention when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's genuine resolution. The military alliance sees no direct involvement in the negotiation process seeking to find a peace-based end to the conflict.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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