Russia Today
Dec 4 2008

OSCE calls for resolution to Karabakh conflict

Military action is not the solution to the troubles in the disputed
Karabakh region in the South Caucasus, according to Foreign Ministers
of the OSCE Minsk Group. They discussed the need for a peaceful
resolution to the long frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains a serious source of
instability. The instable ceasefire regime cannot replace a lasting
peace," said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov at the OSCE
meeting in Finland.

He added that the signed declaration "creates a good base for the
settlement of the conflict".

Mamedyarov’s statement was hailed as a positive sign in the
process. Novruz Mamedov, head of the department of international
relations for the Azerbaijani president, told Baku television channel
ANC that the "resolution of the problem is moving to a different
level".

The statements come just as the Minsk grouped stressed the need for
further cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We call for both sides to reaffirm their devotion to a peace
settlement," the group said.

At the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that basic
principles of a peace treaty regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia must be formed.

"We urge the parties to make efforts jointly with the co-chairmen of
the Minsk Group to achieve an agreement within months on the basic
principles of the settlement, and then, on that basis, to pass over to
drafting a comprehensive peace agreement," Lavrov said.

The two countries came together last month in Moscow and agreed to
seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Lavrov reminded both sides about the agreement they signed in
November. "The declaration signed in Moscow opened a new promising
step in the restoration of peace in the region," he said.

At the OSCE meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan also
expressed his support for cooperation but remained cautious about the
role of the signed document.

"The session in Moscow was very positive. For the first time we signed
a concrete document," said Nalbandyan. "The declaration is not a
peaceful agreement but it is a treaty on key principles."

Nargorno-Karabakh, a region in the South Caucasus, is technically part
of Azerbaijan. In 1988, the area voted to join with the Armenian
Soviet Republic. This action set off a conflict between Armenians and
Azerbaijanis. After violence and conflict continued for several years,
Armenians in the region approved through a referendum the creation of
an independent state.

The referendum was rejected by Azerbaijan and conflict escalated.

The fall of the Soviet Union led to a power vacuum causing full-scale
war to erupt. By 1994, thousands had been killed and hundreds of
thousands displaced as a result. With Russia’s help, an un-official
cease-fire was reached in May 1994.

However, random spells of violence continued to plague the region
causing numerous deaths every year on both sides.

Today the region is under joint military control by Armenian and
Nagorno-Karabakh military forces. Armenia remains steadfast in its
commitment to bringing independence to the region while Azerbaijan
claims its territorial integrity must be respected.

The Minsk Group was formed by the OSCE and includes the US, Russia and
France. Its purpose is to encourage and negotiate a complete and
peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding Karabakh.

The efforts culminated on 2 November when the President of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev, and the President of Armenia, Serzh Sarkisyan, signed a
peace declaration at a meeting in Moscow arranged by Russian president
Dmitry Medvedev.

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