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Azerbaijani, Armenian top diplomats agree to meet in the near future

Elmar Mammadyarov said the date had already been agreed

BAKU, April 4. /TASS/. The top diplomats of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zograb Mnatsakanyan, will hold a meeting in the near future, as Mammadyarov himself said at a press conference following a meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Council on Thursday.

"Very soon we will have our bilateral meeting. We have already agreed the date. It will be traditionally announced in Yerevan and Baku," the Azerbaijani foreign minister said, as cited by the Trend news agency.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside Azerbaijan’s territory. It is a self-proclaimed independent republic, not recognized by any of the United Nations member states

In 1988, hostilities broke out there between the forces reporting to the Baku government and Armenian residents. In 1994, a ceasefire was reached but relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia has remained strained ever since.

Azerbaijan insists that its territorial integrity be restored and refugees return to Nagorno-Karabakh, which will create conditions for talks on the region’s status. Baku is ready to grant autonomy to the region but is unwilling to hold direct talks with Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, Armenia strongly opposes the region’s reunification with Azerbaijan and says that its right to self-determination should be considered.

Russia, France and the United States co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks to broker an end to the conflict. The Group also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.