Azernews.Az

NATO wants to see the improvement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, said in an interview with journalists on Monday, Armenian media reported.

"Recently, the Secretary-General visited the region. He has visited all three countries in the region and was concerned about the tone of the controversy between the two countries," Appathurai said.

"When it comes to security, it is very important for both countries to return to the right path. Recently a meeting of [the two countries] foreign ministers took place in Paris and that is a good sign. However, the meeting is not progress, but only a step on the way. As for NATO, we want to see an improvement in the relations," he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the 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.