Interfax – ITAR-TASS
Wednesday 7:39 PM GMT
Armenian foreign minister, OSCE Minsk group representatives discuss Karabakh conflict regulation
YEREVAN February 20
HIGHLIGHT: Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Stephane Visconti (France), Andrew Schofer (USA), as well as personal representative of the organization’s chairman Anjey Kaspsik have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict regulation during a meeting on Wednesday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service informed TASS. The sides have discussed the outcomes of the latest meeting between the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijani President.
YEREVAN, February 20. /TASS/. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Stephane Visconti (France), Andrew Schofer (USA), as well as personal representative of the organization’s chairman Anjey Kaspsik have discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict regulation during a meeting on Wednesday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service informed TASS. The sides have discussed the outcomes of the latest meeting between the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijani President.
"During the discussion, they focused on the issues considered during the latest meetings on the Nagorno-Karabakh regulation. The co-chairmen were interested in the details of the talks between the Armenian Prime Minister and the Azerbaijani President in Davos in January of this year," the press service informed.
The Armenian top diplomat expressed the position of the Armenian side on finding a peaceful solution to the problem. He also stressed the "need to create an atmosphere facilitating the regulation of the conflict." "The parties have exchanged opinions on further steps aimed at developing the negotiation process," the foreign ministry informed.
On January 22, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict regulation in the Swiss town of Davos during an unofficial meeting. Pashinyan later stated that he and the Azerbaijani leader agreed "not to miss the opportunities of holding such informal meetings" in the future.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside Azerbaijan’s territory. It is a self-proclaimed independent republic, not recognized by any of the United Nations member states
In 1988, hostilities broke out there between the forces reporting to the Baku government and Armenian residents. In 1994, a ceasefire was reached but relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have remained strained ever since.
Azerbaijan insists that its territorial integrity be restored and refugees return to Nagorno-Karabakh, which will create conditions for talks on the region’s status. Baku is ready to grant autonomy to the region but is unwilling to hold direct talks with Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, Armenia strongly opposes the region’s reunification with Azerbaijan and says that its right to self-determination should be considered.
Russia, France and the United States co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks to broker an end to the conflict. The Group also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.