BAKU: OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Hope Azerbaijan’s Occupied Lands

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN HOPE AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED LANDS WILL BE RETURNED

Trend
Nov 13 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, November 13/ Trend News, corr A. Badalova/
"The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict hope that Azerbaijan’s occupied lands will
be returned.

"We hope that Azerbaijan’s occupied lands will be returned to this
country," Matthew Bryza, US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group said
to journalists in Baku on November 13.

"Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia should find a common ground on
this issue. Today there is confidence and respect between Presidents
of Azerbaijan and Armenia," Bryza said.

Concerning Turkey’s mediation on settlement of conflict, Bryza said
Turkey is a member of Minsk group, but not co-chairman. "Turkey
is a very important country. It is NATO ally and it should play an
important role in Caucasus which is happening at the moment," he added.

Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory – Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven surrounding regions. The occupation began in 1988. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia,
France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless
negotiations.