OSCE hopes for productive discussions at upcoming presidential meeting
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents plan to continue their dialogue at their upcoming meeting on key elements of a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which erupted back in 1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
The remark was made during a meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on September 23 at the United Nations General Assembly, the OSCE said.
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk also attended the meeting.
In a joint meeting, the co-chairs and the foreign ministers discussed preparations for the upcoming presidential meeting at the end of October in Paris.
The co-chairs expressed their hope that the presidents would hold productive discussions to make progress towards a lasting settlement.
Ambassador Andrieu briefed the participants on issues that could be included on the meeting agenda. The co-chairs intend to travel to the region soon.
Later, the co-chairs met with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) Didier Burkhalter to discuss the latest developments in the peace process. They provided the CiO a readout of the presidents' recent meetings in Sochi and Wales, and informed him of preparations for the Paris summit.
President Ilham Aliyev and President Serzh Sargsyan last time met on September 4 on the sidelines of NATO Wales summit upon the initiative and participation of U.S. Secretary of State Kerry.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor.
Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994, but long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.