Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 15

By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:

The process of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resumed, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger said in an interview with Italy’s Agenzia Nova.

He said the work carried out by Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal representative of the chairperson-in-office, is of great importance in terms of preventing the escalation of the conflict, especially along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

"The OSCE’s work is to control the process, rather than to resolve the conflict," Greminger said. “The sides of the conflict [Armenia and Azerbaijan] are responsible for the conflict settlement.”

As for all the protracted conflicts in general, Greminger said the OSCE plays the role of a mediator, but the conflict settlement depends on the political will of the sides involved.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.