By Trend
By resettling people of Armenian origin in Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan is not in keeping with spirit of searching for negotiated settlement to the conflict, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair from the US Matthew Bryza told Trend.
“Speaking as the former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, it is disappointing to see people of Armenian origin are resettled from Syria and Lebanon in Nagorno-Karabakh. That sort of move by Yerevan is not in keeping with the spirit of searching for a negotiated settlement that characterizes the Minsk Group. When I was a co-chair of the Minsk Group, it was unimaginable that the Armenian government would have done something like that, because it would be a sign that it has lost all seriousness in pursuing a mediated settlement under the auspices of the Minsk Group. Under these circumstances, it is very difficult to regenerate progress in the Minsk Group format,” he said.
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, 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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