The OSCE supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and promoting to strengthen confidence between the confronting sides, OSCE Chairman Audronius Ažubalis said in Moscow today.
“In this context,” he said, “we support Russia’s efforts to achieve progress in resolving the conflict, coordinated with all the sides,” the official website of the OSCE reported.
He also appreciated the role of the OSCE field missions, noting that they provide an invaluable service in assisting member-countries in fulfilling their obligations.
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 United States – 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.
Trend.
