OSCE HOPES TALKS ON RESOLUTION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE INTENSIFIED AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN

Trend News Agency
July 30 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 30 July/ TrendNews, corr I. Aliyev/ OSCE hopes
that the talks on the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be intensified after the presidential
elections in Azerbaijan in October. "We hope that the talks on the
resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be continued on the
principles at the table after the presidential elections," Heikki
Talvitie, the special envoy of OSCE Chairman in -Office said in the
press conference on the results of his visit to Baku on 30 July.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. 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, but fruitless
negotiations.

In 1992, Minsk Group was founded within OSCE by 10 states to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means. Three states including
US, Russia and France has been acting as co-chairmen of Minsk Group
since 1997.

OSCE representative believes that Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must
be solved by peaceful means and on the principles of determining of
destiny and territorial integrity. "These principles do not contradict
with each other. At present, OSCE is more interested in the talks
on the resolution of the conflict. OSCE encourages Azerbaijan and
Armenia to resolve the conflict peacefully. The peaceful way is the
only way which will bring the parties to compromise," he said.

Concerning the tomorrow’s meeting between foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Edward Nalbandyan,
Talvitie said that OSCE is pleased with the continuation of dialogue
between the parties.