AZERBAIJAN TO CONTINUE MEASURES TO SETTLE ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN 2008 – AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY’S PRESS-SECRETARY

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 24 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. S.Agayeva / The Azerbaijan
Government will continue to take measures for the settlement of
the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2008. "We
believe that the chances for the peaceful settlement of the conflict
have not exhausted," stated Khazar Ibrahim, the Foreign Ministry’s
press-secretary at the press-conference.

"We cannot say that no success was achieved on the issue in
2007. In 2007, Azerbaijan managed to strengthen its position in the
international arena," he stated.

During 2007,one meeting by Presidents, four meetings by Foreign
Ministers of the both countries, as well as a range of meetings with
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, were held.

The Inclusion of the frozen conflicts among the GUAM member-countries
issues to the UN General Assembly’s agenda, is one of the relevant
achievements of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan intends to continue to take
measures to pass a special resolution to the UN about the frozen
conflicts in GUAM member-countries.

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