Today.Az » Politics » NATO reaffirms support for OSCE MG efforts in Karabakh talks
15 June 2017 [12:26] - Today.Az


By Azernews


By Rashid Shirinov

NATO continues to encourage both Armenia and Azerbaijan to work towards a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a NATO official told Trend on June 15.

The official was commenting on the recent visit of James Appathurai, NATO secretary general’s special representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, to Armenia, where he made several statements regarding the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“NATO fully supports the [OSCE] Minsk Group’s efforts to that end,” the NATO official said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.



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