Agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement can only be achieved by conflicting sides: Russian Prime Minister

The agreement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement can only be achieved by the conflicting sides, and Russia and Turkey are ready to help solve the problem, the Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin said to press conference after talks with the Head of the Turkish Government, RIA Novosti reported. 

"With regards to the difficult problems resulting from our past, which included the problem of Karabakh, a compromise must be found by the conflicting sides themselves," said Putin. He stressed that all other states helping achieve this compromise can act only as mediators and guarantors for the implementation of the agreements reached. "Both Turkey and Russia are interested that this kind of problems would be resolved and will help in every possible way," said the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. 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.

/Trend News/