ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES MUST TAKE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO EXTEND ARMISTICE – DEFENCE MINISTER

Trend News Agency
May 13 2008
Azerbaijan

"The Armenian authorities must take all the necessary steps to continue
the armistice," Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Oganyan said at the
Armenian Parliament on 13 May, ArmInfo reported.

According to Oganyan, the authorities are doing their best to give
a logic end to this issue.

"The issue must be solved only in a peaceful manner," he said adding
that no aggravation at the troop contact line has been reported.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. 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, but fruitless
negotiations.

OSCE regularly monitors the troops contact line for the protection
of ceasefire.