EU BELIEVE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA WILL NOT AFFECT PEACE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT – EU PRESIDENT

Trend News Agency
Feb 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 February / Trend corr. S.Agayeva / The European
Union is confident that the presidential elections in Azerbaijan
and Armenia will not negatively affect the peace settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dmitri Rupel, the Slovenian Foreign
minister, stated to journalists in Baku on 4 February.

"The EU follows the negotiation process directed at regulating
the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and any issue that has
been solved between the countries inspire us," Rupel stated. The
EU excluded military methods as a settlement to the conflict. "Both
countries should understand that the regulation of the conflict will
lead to the development within the regions," Benit Ferero Valdner,
EU Commissar on Foreign Relations, stated.

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 neighbouring
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.