YEREVAN FINDS ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS’ TUNE AT RECENT NEGOTIATIONS IN MOSCOW CONSTRUCTIVE

/ARKA/
July 17, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 20. /ARKA/. Yerevan finds Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents’ tune at the recent negotiations in Moscow constructive.

Armenian presidential press office told ARKA News Agency that both
presidents – Serzh Sargsyan and Ilkham Aliev – displayed willingness
to continue negotiating over Karabakh.

They instructed the two country’s foreign ministers to carry out
necessary preparations along with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for the
next presidential meeting likely to be held in this fall.

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Artsakh, mainly populated
by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.

On May 12, 1994 Bishkek cease-fire agreement, put an end to the
military operations.

Since 1992, negotiations over the peaceful settlement of the conflict
have been carried out under the OSCE Minsk Group’s mediation. The
group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France.