NATO pleased with collaboration with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, June 8 / Trend, K. Zarbaliyeva / NATO is pleased with its collaboration with Azerbaijan which is actively involved in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, the Alliance's liaison officer for South Caucasus William Lahue told reporters in Baku on Friday. "Relations between Azerbaijan and NATO are developing successfully, and the parties are interested in their further development. Boosting of relations clearly demonstrates the peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan," Lahue said. NATO representative also said that although the Alliance is not involved in the negotiation process, however it supports the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 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. Lahue is attending a 'round table' on the results of the NATO Chicago Summit, held in May in the United States. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az