Status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable

By Zulfiye Qurbanova - Trend:

Even though the EU is not an OSCE member, EU representatives have repeatedly expressed their intention to contribute to the rapid settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, head of the EU representative office in Azerbaijan Malena Mard told the media on May 21.

"Maintaining the status quo is in the interests of neither Azerbaijan nor Armenia," she said, "Maintaining the status quo is unacceptable. The EU supports rapid settlement of the conflict."

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

The two countries 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.