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28 September 2016

By Seba Aghayeva – Trend

Australia supports Azerbaijan’s efforts for peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Christopher John, head of the Azerbaijan-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group, said.

John made remarks at a meeting with Khalaf Khalafov, Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister, in Baku Sept. 28.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

During the meeting, John also said Australia and Azerbaijan have a big potential for developing cooperation in political and economic spheres.

In particular, there is good potential for cooperation in agrarian and tourism spheres, he said.

During the meeting, Khalafov stressed the importance of developing the political dialogue between the two countries.

He emphasized that Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop’s expected visit to Azerbaijan, discussions on specific projects and increasing bilateral trade during the trip, can greatly contribute to bilateral cooperation.

Khalafov also expressed the Azerbaijani side’s interest in attracting Australian companies to cooperate in the energy, transport and tourism spheres.