Russia says 1994 ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh has indefinite term

A cease-fire agreement inked in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1994 has an indefinite term and continues to form the basis of a truce in the conflict zone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Russia's position completely corresponds to the main approach of the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, encouraging a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Minsk Group, made up of envoys from Russia, France and the United States, is mandated by the OSCE to facilitate talks between the two sides.

The co-chairs -- Igor Popov of Russia, Pierre Andrieu of France and James Warlick from the United States -- visited Baku on April 6 after violence flared up overnight on April 2 with the two countries' defense ministries blaming each other for triggering the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous enclave with a large ethnic Armenian population that lies inside the territory of Azerbaijan.

This region has been the subject of a long-lasting dispute between the two neighboring countries as the first conflict broke out in 1988 when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a cease-fire brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes.

Following three days of fighting, the conflicting sides agreed on a truce that came into force at noon on April 5. Endi