“Participation of the Nagorno-Karabakh population in the negotiation process can be realized after discussing separate items in the negotiations”, Russian Co-chairman to the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov, told Trend News on June 27in Baku.
“Sooner or later the Nagorno-Karabakh population will attend the negotiation process, but it will take place only after the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agree upon the basic principles of the agreement within Madrid talks”, Merzlyakov said.
Armenia occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijan territory – Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts are occupied by the Armenian armed forces. The occupation started in 1988. Until December 1991, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojaly. But in 1992-93, Shusha, Khojaly and seven surrounding districts of Nagorno-Karabakh were occupied too. In 1994, the parties signed the ceasefire agreement and hold peace talks till today.
Minsk Group was established within the OSCE with participation of 10 countries in 1992 in order to settle peacefully Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 3 countries within the Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the USA have been functioning as co-chair countries since 1997.
Trend
