"AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MOSCOW MEETING – NEW STAGE OF NEGOTIATIONS," OSCE MINSK GROUP’ FRENCH CO-CHAIR

TREND News Agency
July 22 2008
Azerbaijan

Work to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict suggested by Azerbaijani
and Armenian Presidents in St. Petersburg in June will be the ground
for negotiations between two countries’ foreign ministers in Moscow
at the beginning of August.

"Upcoming negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers in Moscow are the beginning of new work which was suggested
by two countries’ Presidents at the St. Petersburg meeting," French
Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier said to Trend News.

On 9 June, St. Petersburg hosted a meeting between Presidents
of Azerbaijan and Armenia within the 9th international economic
forum. That was the first meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian newly elected President Serzh Sargsyan.

"Negotiations on peace settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will
be based on Madrid proposals," said Fassier.

In November, 2007, OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs presented basic
principles of peace settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to Armenian
and Azerbaijani Presidents in Madrid for consideration. Co-chairs
believe the ‘ Madrid proposals’ are just and balanced.

Fassier said meeting between two countries’ foreign ministers will
be continuation of the negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian
Presidents.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. 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 the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.