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Azerbaijani foreign minister says no progress reached in Karabakh settlement this year

Elmar Mammadyarov stressed that the negotiations cannot last forever

THE UNITED NATIONS, September 29. /TASS/. Over the past 12 months no progress has been achieved in settling the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said, addressing the general debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.

"It is very important that since last year’s general debate no progress has been achieved in the political settlement of the conflict despite direct contacts between the leaders of the two countries and the meetings of foreign ministers over the last two years," Mammadyarov said. According to him, the reason for this is "the apparent lack of genuine interest by the leadership of Armenia" in peaceful settlement of the conflict.

"On the contrary, Yerevan both in words and deeds derails the process and sabotages the efforts of finding the soonest peaceful settlement," he stressed, noting that Azerbaijan sought to achieve the peaceful resolution to the conflict as soon as possible.

He also stressed that "the negotiations cannot last forever" and there must be no violations of "the realization of the inherent right of self-defense under the UN Charter and international law."

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 have 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.