Azerbaijan, Baku, October 29 /Trend M. Aliyev /
A fair way of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be found, executive secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party (YAP) Ali Ahmedov said.
"The purpose of negotiations within the Minsk Group is the practical help to resolve the conflict. The conflict hasn't been resolved for more than 20 years, and if some structure can not fulfill its obligations for 20 years, then I believe that we need to make serious changes to the format of the Minsk Group," Ahmedov said.
He noted that Azerbaijan supports peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"How much is it possible to believe that the negotiations will give results if there is no progress during the 20 years of the conflict? To believe this, one has to be optimistic. I think that the people of Azerbaijan are optimistic no more. A just way to resolve the conflict and to end the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people should be found," Ahmedov said.
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 and the surrounding regions.