BAKU: U.S. to hold symposium on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 18 2009

U.S. to hold symposium on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The United States, Washington, Sept. 18 /Trend News, N.Bogdanova/

A US-based Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is to hold a Symposium
on Reassessing the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict in Medford, MA on
Sept. 26.

The conference is aimed to discuss the ways of adjusting the conflict
with the participation of US, Azerbaijani and Armenian experts and
also officials, including Elin Suleymanov (Consul General of
Azerbaijan in Los Angeles), Anar Ziyadov and Fariz Ismailzadeh
(Azerbaijani Diplomatic Academy).

Among the main matters of discussions are the challenges and prospects
of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process in the context of new regional
realities, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the aftermath of the
Russia-Georgia war.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Symposium co-sponsors are International Negotiation and Conflict
Resolution Program, School of Law and Diplomacy Southwest Asia and
Islamic Civilization Program, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and
Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Imagine Center for
Conflict Transformation.