Top Azerbaijani official: Minsk Group should be more active in conflict settlement

Azerbaijan, Baku, October 31 /Trend E. Mehdiyev / The position of Baku in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is that the OSCE Minsk Group should be more active in the conflict settlement, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Political Analysis and Information Provision Department head Elnur Aslanov told journalists. He noted that the OSCE should encourage Armenia to liberate the Azerbaijani lands from occupation. "Not only the Minsk Group, but also the countries belonging to it, should be active. We repeatedly address to the world community with this. It is necessary to put an end to the violation of the territorial integrity, to steps, contradicting to international law, and to aggression of one state against another," Aslanov said. He added that many states are passive in the settlement of 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 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az