FOREIGN MINISTERS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA WILL MEET OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS IN LUXEMBOURG

Trend News Agency
Oct 23 2009
Azerbaijan

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Yury Merzlyakov of
Russia, Bernard Fassier of France, and Robert Bradtke of the United
States will meet Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Luxembourg October
25-27, says the statement by the Co-Chairs, released at the official
website of organization on Friday.

"The Co-Chairs will also travel to Luxembourg October 25-27 to
meet Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Mammadyarov. They will address plans for their next trip
to Baku and Yerevan in November and preparation for discussion of
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement at the OSCE Ministerial Council in
December 2009", the statement says.

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.

According to statement, the Co-Chairs attended a "Retreat on OSCE
Mediation Activities" hosted October 22-23 by the OSCE Conflict
Prevention Center in Vienna, Austria. After the retreat, the Co-Chairs
provided a quarterly briefing to the OSCE Minsk Group.

"On the margins of the retreat, each Ambassador individually
participated in different bilateral meetings with a variety of
interlocutors, including, among others, Greek Ambassador Marinaki,
representing the OSCE Chairman-in-Office; OSCE Secretary General
Perrin de Brichambaut; Armenian Ambassador Hovakimian; Azerbaijani
Ambassador Ismayilov; Kazakh Ambassador Abdrakhmanov; Swedish
Ambassador Bard-Bringeus, representing the EU presidency; and Turkish
Deputy Undersecretary Cevikoz", the statement says.