Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the French Foreign Minister on Thursday.
"Elmar Mammadyarov will visit France on May 19. During the visit he will meet with the French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Eyraud and Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir. They will discuss bilateral relations and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," APA reports with reference to the French diplomatic source.
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.
