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Azeri president says 2019 to become ‘year of missed opportunities’ for deal on Karabakh

He highlighted that several stages of negotiations between the leaders, as well as the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia had been held this year, and the next foreign ministers’ meeting soon to be held in Slovakia

BAKU, November 28. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev believes that this year turned out to be a year of missed opportunities for settling the Karabakh conflict, he said, receiving Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajcak on Thursday.

"[The Karabakh] conflict is, undoubtedly, a big problem and a great danger for the region. I think that unfortunately this year has become a year of missed opportunities," Aliyev stated. The president said that the reason is linked to "Armenia’s unwillingness to observe the norms of international law and implement resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the OSCE."

The Azerbaijani leader highlighted that several stages of negotiations between the leaders, as well as the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia had been held this year, and the next foreign ministers’ meeting will soon be held in Slovakia. "We hope that next year will become more productive since the soonest resolution to the conflict serves the interests of Azerbaijan and, I am confident, of Armenia," the Azerbaijani president said.

At the same time, he is convinced that in order to achieve some progress in the settlement, it is necessary to take practical action on the ground. "The first move is the start of de-occupation of the internationally recognized borders and territories of Azerbaijan," Aliyev added.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region declared its secession from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. During the armed struggle of 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent areas. Negotiations on a peaceful settlement to the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group headed by its co-chairs - Russia, the US and France - have been ongoing since 1992.