OSCE READY TO ORGANIZE MEETING BETWEEN ARMENIA & AZERBAIJANI DEFENCE MINISTERS – OSCE REPRESENTATIVE
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 24 2007
Great Britain, London / Òrend corr G. Ahmadova / OSCE is prepared
to organize the next meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
Defence Ministers should the parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict be interested. "I don’t think either side is interested in the
meeting now. But should both sides show interest, we are ready," OSCE
Chairman-in-office’s personal representative, Andrzej Kasprzyk, said
in London on 24 September while commenting on the possibility of the
next meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Defence Ministers.
Kasprzyk did not make it clear why he considered the conflicting
parties not to be interested in the next meeting of the defence
ministers. He did however mention that the Armenian Defence Minister,
Serj Sarkisyan, was replaced in summer.
The last time the defence ministers, Serj Sarkisyan and Safar Abiyev
met in Idjevan-Gazakh area of Armenian-Azerbaijani border on 20
October 2006 within the framework of the arrangements to improve
mutual trust. The meeting was initiated by Kasprzyk. Border control
and maintenance of the armistice was mainly discussed at the meeting.
The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
–Boundary_(ID_a8iePGHdQCC66BAvXPXV MA)–