Swiss Foreign Ministry calls for dialogue to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter called for a structured negotiation process to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Burkhalter said that "the escalation of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh is an important issue". "And thanks to the efforts of Russia it eased a bit, but the region remains complicated and prone to conflict escalation," he said.

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.