Clinton Urges Peaceful Solution to Karabakh Conflict

U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton told her Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian that the Nagorny Karabakh conflict should be settled solely by peaceful means, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. Clinton said that the United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group mediating the conflict over the breakaway region on Azerbaijani territory with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, will continue working with the opposing parties to help them reach an agreement. During the meeting that took place on Saturday at the 48th Munich Security Conference, Nalbandian praised the U.S. mediating role and spoke on the results of the January 23 meeting between the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani presidents in the southern Russian resort of Sochi on the Black Sea. Clinton also discussed conflict settlement issues with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The conflict between the two Caucasus states erupted in the late 1980s, when Nagorny Karabakh claimed independence from Azerbaijan. It is estimated to have left more than 30,000 people dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994. The region has since remained under Armenian control. Russia has been mediating peace talks for nearly two decades. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said recently the conflict can be settled any day if the two states agree to compromise.