Azerbaijan proposes restoring traffic to Armenia through disputed enclave

.c The Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Azerbaijan has proposed restoring traffic to
Armenia through the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said Monday.

The made the proposal last week during a meeting of the two countries’
foreign ministers in Paris, Azimov said.

Azerbaijan “expects a positive response on this issue,” he told
reporters, pointing out that reopening traffic could act as a
confidence-building measure between the two adversaries.

The proposed road would pass through Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia
proper and then end in the Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan, which
borders Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijani forces ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
The war killed some 30,000 people and drove a million from their
homes. The enclave of Nakhichevan is legally part of Azerbaijan, but
is cut off from Azerbaijan proper by Armenia.

06/20/05 14:57 EDT