Trend, Azerbaijan
July 17 2009

Azerbaijan, Armenia should compromise: OSCE secretary general

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 17 /Trend News, E.Ostapenko/

Armenia and Azerbaijan should make concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement, OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut
believes.

"I believe today’s Moscow meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian
Presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan is an important stage,"
Brichambaut said at a news conference on the results of his visit to
Azerbaijan in Baku on July 17.

The talks between the two leaders will take place in Moscow on July 17
and 18 as part of the informal meeting at the horse races for the
Russian president’s prize. The talks will continue with Russian
President Dmitriy Medvedev’s participation tomorrow.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

The OSCE Secretary General has attached great importance to the
statement by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair-countries
(Russia, United States and France) during the G-8 summit in the
Italian L’Aquila city which as he states, "testifies importance of the
resolution of this conflict".

It is noteworthy that a strong revival is observed in the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs’ activities, the Secretary General said.

"Yesterday during the meeting with President Aliyev, I witnessed his
interest in the progress of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. I
hope that this conflict will soon be resolved," Brichambaut said.

De Brichambaut is on a three-day visit to Baku since July 15.