BAKU: FM: Azerbaijan Insists On Withdrawal Of Troops From Seven Occu

FM: AZERBAIJAN INSISTS ON WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM SEVEN OCCUPIED REGIONS

Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 26 2011

Azerbaijan has insisted on the withdrawal of troops from seven
occupied regions to create an atmosphere of confidence between the
conflict sides, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said
at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol
Vashadze on Wednesday.

“Only then we can proceed to preparation of a comprehensive peaceful
settlement,” Mammadyarov said.

Mammadyarov said no one expected that such a complex problem as a
territorial conflict would be resolved in one night, but the Prague
process envisages phased settlement.

As Azerbaijan previously stated, it is necessary to start work on a
peace agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh and uncoordinated points of the
negotiations, as it would demonstrate the work is underway in the
right direction, he stressed.

According to Mammadyarov, seven occupied regions should be liberated,
as Azerbaijani citizens living there are in danger.

“If Armenian troops are withdrawn from these regions, then no one
will need snipers, and the danger will tail,” Mammadyarov added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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.