Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Italy will continue to support the work of the OSCE Minsk Group to find a definitive solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said.

He made the remarks at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on January 11.

“Our attention will remain high and unchanged on all of the protracted conflicts,” the minister said.

He also noted that during its chairmanship at OSCE in 2018, Italy intends to intensify the dialogue between the OSCE member states, which is one of the key principles.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Until now, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

Meanwhile, the OSCE Minsk Group, created in 1990s to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is still working on the issue. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. It is also noteworthy that Italy, chairing the OSCE this year, is one of the permanent members of the Minsk Group.

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

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