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By Amina Nazarli

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its impact on people in the region were a key topic of the two-day visit of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin, to Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan are under the control of the Armenian military and separatists since a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended in 1994. Negotiations lasting for over 20 years have brought little progress in resolving the conflict, though a fragile truce has been in place.

In Baku, Kristian Vigenin met with senior officials including the Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Ogtay Asadov, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, Members of the Azerbaijani Delegation to the OSCE PA, Members of the Foreign and Inter-parliamentary Affairs Committee, and members of parties represented in parliament, as well as representatives of civil society.

“We must never forget that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to result in casualties – this status quo is simply unacceptable,” said Vigenin in Baku. “I plan to continue working to keep this tragic reality high on the agenda of political leaders here in the region and internationally. We cannot allow ourselves to be complacent about saving lives.”

He further reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict, expressing his support for the mediation efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

“There is a tendency for the world to wake up to the conflict each time there is a major escalation in hostilities, but peace cannot be achieved with occasional efforts. Dedicated attention at the highest levels is necessary to summon the political will necessary for a lasting peace,” he said.

Welcoming plans for a meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the near future, Vigenin stressed that while the final responsibility for finding a resolution to the conflict lies with the Governments of the two countries, greater international attention can help support peace efforts. He noted that there can be a constructive parliamentary dimension to conflict resolution.

“We should carry out all measures to ensure resolution of the conflict. We are ready to support any step, which can lead to peace,” said Vigenin as he met with Vice Speaker of Azerbaijani parliament, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to OSCE PA Bahar Muradova.

Muradova, in turn, said that the delay in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict poses a threat to the whole OSCE region. She described as positive the fact that the OSCE PA Special Representative and Minsk Group Co-Chairs decided to keep each other updated about their activities.

Vigenin also travelled to Masazir region to meet with people displaced by the conflict on September 25. Here Vigenin got acquainted with the living conditions of the IDPs and talked with them.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will do everything possible for peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Vigenin promised when talking to IDPs.

The visit to Azerbaijan by the Special Representative is the first leg in a week-long visit to the South Caucasus which includes visits to Georgia and Armenia.

Vigenin will report on the regional visit to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Standing Committee on October 4, and will outline concrete proposals for future engagement in the region, the press service of the OSCE PA reported.

Vigenin was appointed Special Representative in February 2016 by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. In his mandate, he is tasked with promoting dialogue in all segments of society, in particular at the parliamentary level, in order to encourage reconciliation and rehabilitation with regard to the protracted conflicts in the region.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years. Today, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

Baku has repeatedly expressed its consent to come to the negotiating table with Yerevan to resolve the conflict by peaceful means, but Armenia continues to play for time and avoids substantive negotiations in order to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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