Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry: occupation policy of Armenia prevents peace in Karabakh

The only obstacle on the way to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the occupation policy of Armenia, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev stated.

"We are committed to a peaceful settlement of the conflict and substantive negotiations, however, the Armenian side continues provocative actions aimed at maintaining the status quo. It is easy to guess that Armenia and its occupation policy are an obstacle to peace, stability and prosperity in the region,'' RIA Novosti cites him as saying.

Recall that all the border posts of Azerbaijan on the night of April 2 were subjected to intense fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery units of the Armenian Armed Forces. In addition, a number of shots were fired at settlements near the frontline, densely populated by civilians.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts  (20% of the Azerbaijan's territory) are still occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

In May 1994 the parties reached a ceasefire agreement during negotiations, which are still continuing under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group and co-chairs Russia, France and the US.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions haven't been carried out by Armenia yet.