Azerbaijan, Baku, April 21 / Trend, M. Aliyev /
The U.S. State Department's reaction to discontent in Azerbaijan is normal, the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration reported.
"We believe that they [the United States] will be objective in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue until the end, and public discontent in Azerbaijan has had an impact on U.S. centers for state policy-planning. We do not want the deterioration of relations with the United States. Also we do not want to cause harm to our partnerships. However, unfortunately, the situation is making this happen. We hope that the United States, as before, will preserve its sensible position in its relations with Azerbaijan, and we will fulfill all our obligations related to the country's interests," Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social and Political Department head Ali Hasanov told journalists today.
The United States adheres to a neutral position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, U.S. State Department Acting Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said in an interview with Voice of America.
According to Hasanov, Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with the OSCE Minsk Group's activities in terms of achieving a breakthrough in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"So many years have passed, but the situation has not moved forward," he 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 United States - 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 region and the occupied territories.