AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN, TURKISH PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL
Trend News Agency
Nov 7 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, Baku, 7 November/ Trend News/ President of Turkey
Abdullah Gul has initiated to hold trilateral meeting of Presidents
of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey in Istanbul, Turkish ZAMAN newspaper
reported.
The trilateral meeting of Presidents was discussed by the Presidents
Gul and Ilham Aliyev during Azerbaijani Presidents official visit
to Turkey.
Azerbaijani President agreed to hold trilateral meeting in
Istanbul. The venue and date of the trilateral meeting will be
announced after talks with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan,
ZAMAN 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.