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Continuation of Nagorno-Karabakh talks gives grounds for cautious optimism, says MP

8 December 2017 17:43 (UTC+04:00)
Continuation of Nagorno-Karabakh talks gives grounds for cautious optimism, says MP

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijanis, and probably Armenians too, await with hope each meeting on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met in Vienna to discuss the ways to move forward the peace process on December 6.

During the meeting, the sides held intensive and concrete discussions on the existing proposals in connection with the settlement of the conflict. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev noted that Baku will continue its efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as soon as possible through substantive negotiations.

Commenting on the negotiations in Vienna to Day.Az, Azerbaijani MP Rasim Musabayov noted that information about Mammadyarov and Nalbandian’s meeting is extremely meager.

"So far, it can be noted that it was a working meeting. Although the foreign ministers of the Minsk Group co-chairing countries (the U.S., France and Russia) were in Vienna, they did not join the talks,” he said.

Musabayov noted that the meeting participants described it as useful and constructive and agreed to continue discussions in January. This, he assumed, indicates the possibility of convergence of positions on contentious issues.

“Although the Armenians, as usual, tried again to put forward the strengthening of the ceasefire as a precondition for the continuation of substantive negotiations, it is obvious that all the problems of the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are discussed,” the MP said.

Musabayov further added that it is yet difficult to say whether the new negotiating round will lead to a breakthrough in the settlement of the conflict, but the very fact of continuing the negotiations gives grounds for cautious optimism.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in a conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since the war in 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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