AZERBAIJAN TO USE OTHER WAYS TO RESTORE ITS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY – DEFENCE MINISTER

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr E. Huseynli / If peaceful negotiations on
the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict do not give concrete
results, Azerbaijan will choose other ways to restore its territorial
integrity, the Azerbaijani Defence Minister, Colonel-General Safar
Abiyev said during his meeting with the newly-appointed British
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dr Carolyn Browne on 15 November.

According to the Minister, Armenia can no longer occupy 20% of
Azerbaijani land.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Azerbaijan supports a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Abiyev said

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