By  Trend

The US will continue to be an active co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, US ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta told reporters in Baku on November 16.

As for the reports that allegedly, the US is going to withdraw from the OSCE Minsk Group, Cekuta said "there are a lot of speculations about that and I don't want to comment on the speculations."

He went on to add that the US has been and is continuing to be an active member of the OSCE Minsk Group.

"We have a new co-chair, who is looking at this process with new eyes. He is the negotiator. Andrew Schofer is focused on this and the US is focused on this, and we will continue to be an active member of the Minsk Group," added the ambassador.

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 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.