NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT TO BE REGULATED WITHIN TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN: OSCE CHAIR

Trend News Agency
Feb 28 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 28 February / corr TrendNews S.Agayeva / Ilkka
Kanerva, the Finnish Foreign minister and the OSCE chairman-in-office
assured Baku that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be settled within
the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Kanerva made this statement to journalists after a meeting with the
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on 28 February.

According to Kanerva, the OSCE will continue supporting the resolution
of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict within the Minsk Group. It is the
OSCE’s priority. "It is good that the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia
wish to continue talks and their results will be definitely supported
by the OSCE," the chairman-in-office said. He noted the importance
to intensify the negotiation process to achieve rapid positive results.

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 the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.