U.S.:' Peace is only answer with respect to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict'

The peace is the only answer with respect to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, U.S. Ambassador Richard Morningstar told journalists in Baku on Friday.

"I will work with negotiators, with our Minsk Group negotiators and with the government here to hopefully make progress with respect to the negotiations. We can never give up because the peace is the only answer with respect to the Nagorny Karabakh conflict," he said.

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


/Trend/