Azerbaijani, Moldovan FMs mull regional situation

By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Moldovan counterpart Aureliu Ciocoi have discussed the latest situation in the South Caucasus region.

In a telephone conversation on November 30, Bayramov and Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Aureliu Ciocoi also focused on the signing of the trilateral statement dated November 9 on the full ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

The two men welcomed the statement and stressed the importance of implementing a number of issues arising from the agreement.

The parties also discussed issues of the bilateral cooperation agenda and stated the importance of continuing agency-to-agency cooperation in an intensive manner, as well as expanding collaboration on multilateral platforms. The ministers discussed other issues of mutual interest.

In early November, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end fighting in Karabakh and work towards a comprehensive solution.

The November peace agreement ended the 30-years-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the 1990s. For nearly three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.

 The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France had been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts resulted in no progress as Armenia refused to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions.