Russia Today, Russia
Nov 2 2008

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to talks on disputed land

Caucasus adversaries Armenia and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement
to try to resolve their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. At talks in
Moscow on Sunday both sides agreed to seek a peaceful solution to the
row over the breakaway region.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arranged the talks during a visit to
Armenia in October.

He said the aim was to `work towards stabilization of the situation in
the South Caucasus and the establishment of stability and security in
the region on the base of principles of international law and relevant
decisions and documents.

The President added that stabilization would create `favourable
conditions for economic development and cooperation in the region. A
Peaceful settlement should be accompanied by legally binding
international guarantees of all its aspects and stages," Medvedev
said.

Nagorno-Karabakh was part of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan in the
USSR, mostly populated by Armenians.

In 1991 the region unilaterally declared independence, sparking a war
between Armenia and Azerbaijan that killed around 30,000 people and
created a million refugees.

Since the ceasefire in 1994, most of Nagorno-Karabakh remains under
joint Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh military control.

Armenia remains committed to the region’s independence, while
Azerbaijan says its territorial integrity must be respected.

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