Uzbekistan backs Baku’s position over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

Uzbekistan supports settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

This statement was made by Jahangir Aminov, the counselor of the Uzbek Embassy in Baku on the economy and politics at a briefing on August 4.

"The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem should be an important factor that contributes to the further development and progress of the country. Uzbekistan's position on this issue is unambiguous and consistent. We have always advocated in favor of a peaceful political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this case, the Uzbek side believes that one of the main conditions of its settlement should be ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” he stressed.

He also noted that Uzbekistan attaches priority importance to boost cooperation with Azerbaijan, considering it as a key partner in the South Caucasus.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. A lengthy war in the early 1990s resulted in the displacement of over one million Azerbaijanis from native and historical hands and the occupation of over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory –including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions – by the Armenian armed forces

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs dubbed the Madrid Principles. However, the negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

In addition, Armenia has been ignoring the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the withdrawal of its troops from the occupied territories over the past 20 years.