BAKU: Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs discuss Karabakh conflict settlement

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 17 2013

Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs discuss Karabakh conflict settlement

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs brokering resolution of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh met on May 17 with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian, the OSCE said.

The Minsk Group co-chairs — Igor Popov of Russia, Jacques Faure of
France and Ian Kelly of the United States and the foreign ministers
discussed possible ways to advance the peace process of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office,
Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings.
The ministers exchanged views on the current situation and reaffirmed
their commitment to promoting peace in the region.
The co-chairs reiterated the need to avoid actions or rhetoric that
could raise tensions or damage the peace process, and discussed with
the ministers a number of confidence building measures to help create
an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation. The mediators will travel
to the region later this month to discuss these issues further with
the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 peace negotiations.

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

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress