OSCE MG MEETING IN HELSINKI TO CONTRIBUTE TO KARABAKH CONFLICT’S SETTLEMENT

Cihan News Agency, Turkey
Feb 12 2015

BAKU – 12.02.2015 14:15:51

The meeting in Helsinki on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a good opportunity for exchange of views
and information on the current situation on resolving the conflict,
Finnish Foreign Ministry’s roving Ambassador for the South Caucasus
Christer Michelsson told Trend on Feb.12.

He said Finland will continue supporting the efforts of OSCE Minsk
Group on the conflict’s settlement.

Michelsson added that the co-chairs are trying to resolve the conflict
on the basis of Madrid principles. “Three meetings were held between
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in 2014 and we hope that these
meetings will continue.”

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, James Warlick (the US), Pierre Andrieu
(France) and Igor Popov (Russia), as well as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk are on a visit to Finland.

Currently, the co-chairs are holding meetings with Finland’s Foreign
Minister Erkki Tuomioja and the Secretary of State at Finland’s
Foreign Ministry Peter Stenlund.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on Feb.15,
following which they will visit Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in
1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a
result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress