Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

UN supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

He made the remark during his meeting with the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN on February 27.

“The UN Secretary General has confirmed the UN's continued support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the Armenian media note.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 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 regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijan’s territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.

Meanwhile, the Minsk Group spearheads the OSCE's efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Although the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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