Latvian ex-president: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolvable and should be settled peacefully

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolvable and should be settled peacefully, former President of Latvia Vaira Vike Freiberga told journalists on Thursday in Baku.
Latvia’s ex-president is on a visit to Azerbaijan to participate at the joint high level meeting of Nizami Ganjavi International Centre and Club of Madrid which was organised with the support of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.
According to her, Azerbaijan has always been a reliable friend of Latvia.
“Azerbaijani and Latvian officials and businessmen organise mutual visits,” she noted.
There are enough favourable prospects to develop various spheres between the two countries, Latvia’s ex-president said.
Talking about the existing conflicts in the region and their settlement, Vike Freiberga said that one of the main topics of today’s meeting is the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“The prime direction of the work of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre is the propaganda of ideas of tolerance and co-existence. Conflicts harass society. Refugees cannot return their homeland for years.
“Many in Latvia said the country doesn’t’ have any chance to restore its independence. However this happened when the USSR collapsed and many things changed and borders appeared where they were none previously. Conflicts can be resolved when nations understand how much they lose due out to them. The conflict is resolvable and it should be done peacefully,” Latvia’s ex-president 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 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.