Delaying the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means creates conditions for the worsening of the situation, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev said on April 12 in Baku, receiving the delegation headed by Rainer Stinner,Chairman of the Sub-Committee NATO Partnerships \(PCNP\).
"Armenia should understand that Azerbaijan will not accept the occupation of its lands. An international legal framework exists to resolve this problem peacefully, and the four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council are sufficient to address this issue," said Abiyev, the press service of the Ministry of Defence reported.
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 region and the occupied territories.
Abiyev informed the guests about Azerbaijan's achievements in economic, political and military spheres in recent years, and that the country attaches great importance to European integration and cooperation with NATO, and the development in this regard more clearly manifests itself.
NATO's cooperation with the South Caucasus states - Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia is mainly carried out within the Partnership for Peace Program, an Individual Partnership Action Plans and the Planning and Review Process. "These documents define the objectives and intentions of the partner countries to hold consultations with NATO on reforms in the spheres of defense, security and military policy.
In addition to supporting the reforms, an important goal of cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan is to develop interaction of the country's Armed Forces with the forces of NATO countries in peacekeeping operations.
Since 1999, the Azerbaijani troops have being providing support to peacekeeping operations of NATO in Kosovo, and since 2002 - in Afghanistan.
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