RA MFA: BREAKTHROUGH NOT EXPECTED IN KARABAKH PROCESS IN NEAR FUTURE
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.01.2010 14:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The process of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is underway. Armenia is hopeful that the positive dynamics
fixed in 2009 will be maintained during the current year, RA top
diplomat said.
"6 meetings were mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and 3
meetings took place on the initiative of the Russian President in
2009. Nevertheless, artificial acceleration or slowdown will hardly
help the process," Edward Nalbandian said when responding to a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter’s question during a news conference on Friday.
"It’s hard to forecast the developments of 2010 but if Baku
demonstrates a more constructive approach, certain progress is
possible. However, it’s too early to speak of any breakthrough in
the process," Minister Nalbandian said.
The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in
1988 as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the
final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from
1991 to 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions
of Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control
of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks
mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, now Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)) to encourage a peaceful, negotiated
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The Minsk Group is headed by a Co-Chairmanship consisting of France,
Russia and the United States. Furthermore, the Minsk Group also
includes the following participating States: Belarus, Germany, Italy,
Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Turkey as well as Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Current Co-chairmen of the Minsk Group are: Ambassador
Bernard Fassier of France, Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov of the Russian
Federation and Ambassador Robert Bradtke of the United States.
The main objectives of the Minsk Process are as follows: Providing
an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of
assuring the negotiation process supported by the Minsk Group;
Obtaining conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation
of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk
Conference; Promoting the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational
peacekeeping forces.
The Minsk Process can be considered to be successfully concluded if
the objectives referred to above are fully met.