Turkish former FM: Nagorno-Karabakh settlement would open development opportunities for Armenia

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 4 / Trend E. Mehdiyev / The nationalist programmes implemented by Armenia, isolate it from the development ones for the region. Today the Armenian people must consider this. Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will open numerous opportunities for developing Armenia and the whole region, Turkish former Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin said at a conference 'NATO's role in shaping the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus and around it' in Baku today. "The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the most serious problems in the region after the Cold War," he said. "This problem has a long history that has remained from the Soviet Union period. Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan's integral part." Cetin said that the conflict must be resolved within international law. "At present, while offering new ideas, Turkey wants to revive this process," he added. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az