(AFP) - The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, criticized Monday mediators seeking to resolve a dispute between his country and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and threatened to use force.
"We are unhappy with the work of the Minsk group which has failed to produce any results," Aliev said in an interview with the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
The Minsk Group, comprised of France, Russia and the United States and operating under a mandate from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been mediating peace talks between the two countries for the past decade.
Aliev threatened again that Azerbaijan would resort to force to get the territory back. "The patience of the Azeri people has its limits. We can't continue to negotiate for another 10 years. We will strengthen our army," he said.
He also said he believed other international organizations could help resolve the conflict. "That's why we've raised this question in the United Nations and the Council of Europe despite protests from the Armenians," he said.
The conflict has cost an estimated 35,000 lives and forced about one million people on both sides to flee their homes.
"We are unhappy with the work of the Minsk group which has failed to produce any results," Aliev said in an interview with the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
The Minsk Group, comprised of France, Russia and the United States and operating under a mandate from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been mediating peace talks between the two countries for the past decade.
Aliev threatened again that Azerbaijan would resort to force to get the territory back. "The patience of the Azeri people has its limits. We can't continue to negotiate for another 10 years. We will strengthen our army," he said.
He also said he believed other international organizations could help resolve the conflict. "That's why we've raised this question in the United Nations and the Council of Europe despite protests from the Armenians," he said.
The conflict has cost an estimated 35,000 lives and forced about one million people on both sides to flee their homes.