Trend, Azerbaijan
Aug 12 2009

President Obama shares my opinion that Armenia should return occupied lands to Azerbaijan: Matthew Bryza

Azerbaijan, Baku, August 12/ Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva /

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza arrived in Baku
on August 11. This is a farewell visit of Bryza to the region as a
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

President Obama shares my opinion that Armenia should return the
occupied lands to Azerbaijan, as Sarkozy and Medvedev reflected in the
general statement in July, said Bryza.

"The United States fully supports the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the Madrid principles, Bryza
told journalists. – We have finalized some of the Madrid principles
and discussed them at a meeting in Cracow."

He said that the Russian side also fruitfully and constructively
worked with them to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Our work in the Minsk Group has always been fair and constructive, he
said. – The Minsk Group has helped the two Presidents bring closer the
positions on the issues that will help resolve this conflict."

In his opinion, the Presidents are close to sign a framework
agreement.

Advisor of U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,
Bryza, was appointed the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in June 2006, replacing Steven
Mann in this post.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.