CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION ESTABLISHED BETWEEN OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS
ARKA
March 19, 2008
YEREVAN, March 19. /ARKA/. Constructive cooperation has been
established between the Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group, says the review
of 2007 foreign policy and diplomacy placed on the website of the
Russian Foreign Ministry.
According to the document, OSCE MG Co-Chairs (Russia, USA, and
France) intensified close cooperation in their mediation efforts in
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process in 2007.
Western partners remained committed to inadmissibility of coercive
approach and use of force in settling the conflict; this was largely
facilitated by regular contacts of the Co-Chairs with the management
of the Russian Foreign Ministry during the consultations in Moscow
in January and August, the review says.
Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that mediation efforts of the
Co-Chairs was supported by the statement of foreign ministers of the
Group of Eight (G8) on the eve of G8 summit in Heiligendamm (May)
and at the meeting of OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Madrid
(November).
Foreign ministers of Russia, France and the U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State officially handed the document with basic principles of
settlement over to foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
in Madrid.
This step was made bearing in mind the upcoming presidential elections
in both countries, for maintaining the agreements reached in the
negotiations and moving forward to agreeing upon the basic principles
of the settlement, the document says.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when Nagorno-Karabakh
with prevailingly Armenian population declared its withdrawal from
Azerbaijan.
On December 10 1991, just a couple of days before the official collapse
of the Soviet Union, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh in the
presence of international observers where 99.89% of the population
voted for the full independence from Azerbaijan.
In response to it, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale war against
Nagorno-Karabakh. Active operations were ceased on May 12 1994 by
signing a cease-fire agreement that is maintained since then.
Since 1992 negotiations have been held on peaceful settlement of the
conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by
the USA, Russia and France.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
