Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger exchanged the views on the OSCE’s role in facilitating the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Axar.az reports citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Lavrov met with Greminger on April 24, who was in Moscow to participate in the 8th Moscow Conference on International Security.

"The OSCE’s growing role in restoring confidence and de-escalation of the military-political situation in Euro-Atlantic region was stressed during the talks,” the ministry said. “The importance of increasing the OSCE’s potential in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and challenges in cyberspace was confirmed."

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.