OSCE MINSK GROUP FOR CONTINUING PEACE TALKS

Trend News Agency
July 22 2008
Azerbaijan

OSCE Minsk Group is for continuing peace talks on the resolution of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of
major principles.

"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs welcome constructive meeting of the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan held in St. Petersburg on 6
June and call on the sides to refuse from their maximal initiatives
during the talks, public statements and avoid all types of aggressive
rhetoric," said a statement issued by he OSCE Minsk Group mediators
from the United States (Mathew Bryza), France (Bernard Fassier)
and Russia (Yuriy Merzlyakov), placed in the OSCE’s website on 22 July.

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.

"There is not armed solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,"
the co-chairs said.

Next meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will
be held in Moscow on 1 August with the participation of co-chairs.