Vienna talks on Karabakh conflict hailed by U.S., Germany
By Rashid Shirinov
The meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was held in Vienna on May 16. The Vienna meeting became the first since the renewed hostilities on the contact line of troops in early April.
The presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict, and agreed to finalize the OSCE investigative mechanism in the shortest possible time.
John Kirby, Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, commenting on the meeting said the presidents demonstrated political will to move beyond the status quo and to take steps that can benefit all the people in the region.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia undertook to respect the ceasefire, to enact important measures to build confidence and to start negotiations next month that may lead to a comprehensive settlement, Kirby told journalists during his briefing. He noted that the meeting was a step in the right direction.
“The United States, for its part, will be ready to help them in this regard. Now everyone has to perform heavy work on the implementation of the measures to which they are committed,” he said.
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier mentioned that the situation along the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops remains tense.
“Escalation of hostilities in April was a reminder that re-doubled and sustained efforts are needed to break the deadlock in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said.
Steinmeier further welcomed the initiative by his colleagues from Russia, the US and France, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, who held the Vienna meeting.
"I am encouraged by the renewed commitment that both presidents have expressed to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as their readiness to have a new round of talks in June," he said.
"Germany's 2016 OSCE Chairmanship remains fully committed to supporting the work of the co-chairs. We will actively support efforts to establish an investigative mechanism," he added. "We will also work on expanding the team of my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk."
Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, 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, but they have not been enforced to this day.
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