Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir discussed the further steps for a full restoration of the negotiation process on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry told Trend.
The discussions were held in Paris May 19.
During a working dinner, Mammadyarov and Desir exchanged views on the results of the recent high-level Vienna meeting on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and emphasized the importance of a speedy resumption of the full negotiation process in order to achieve a political solution to the conflict.
The parties also discussed the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU, and the French side pledged to render assistance to Azerbaijan in strengthening these relations, said Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.
Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
