'Karabakh issue is pain of Northern Cyprus'

The people of Azerbaijan and Turks of Northern Cyprus - the fraternal nations, so the Karabakh problem - is our pain too, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Dervis Eroglu said, speaking to the Azerbaijani and Turkish students, the agency Anatolia reported.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

Eroglu noted that Azerbaijan - a rapidly developing country, and Baku could play an important role in the cancellation of an international blockade of Northern Cyprus.

Eroglu also said success of Azerbaijan in the international arena is encouraging Northern Cyprus.


/Trend/