AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH MAY MEET
Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 14 2011
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is considering the opportunity of
holding a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian communities to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova said
at a press conference in the Azerbaijani Parliament on Friday.
She said that she addressed the OSCE PA and discussed the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and proposed to organize a meeting between
the communities. Muradova stressed, however, that the OSCE PA must not
only discuss. It is necessary to hold a meeting between Armenian and
Azerbaijani communities as an important step in conflict settlement
and confidence between the parties.
The meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities must be
held in Baku, as both sides are Azerbaijani citizens, Muradova said.
“If we fail to agree on a meeting in Baku, it can take place on
neutral territory, for example, in Vienna,” she said. “The issues of
trust between the communities, their living together and issues of
security may be discussed at such a meeting.”
Muradova stressed that her speech in the OSCE PA was appreciated.
OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus Joao Soares will
visit the region in November or in January, Muradova said. The talks
about holding a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities
will be held during the visit of the special envoy.
The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed
at the Saturday session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the
Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet
implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the
liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.