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22 November 2016

Trend

The US, together with other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, must intensify efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bridget Brink in Baku Nov. 22.

The Azerbaijani foreign minister informed Brink about the negotiation process to resolve the conflict and stressed inadmissibility of the status quo.

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, Mammadyarov and Brink expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US in economy, energy, peacekeeping operations and fighting international terrorism.

They also stressed the importance of increasing efforts to intensify cooperation between the two countries.

Brink said the US attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan and appreciates the country’s contribution in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism.