Warlick: Work on meeting of Azerbaijani, Armenian presidents underway
By Rashid Shirinov
The co-chairs of the Minsk group of the OSCE are looking for an opportunity to organize next meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick told RIA Novosti on August 3.
He said that no decision can be forcibly imposed to any of the parties of the conflict. Both sides take part in substantial negotiations and work with co-chairs on creating measures of decreasing the threat of violence across the line of contact.
The last meeting between presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan was held on June 20 in Saint-Petersburg in a trilateral format with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, the two presidents met in Vienna on May 16.
The diplomat stressed that the co-chairs, namely representatives of Russia, the United States and France, are committed to continuing dialogue between presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and it is important to continue positive momentum in the process over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “We are seeking for an opportunity of organizing another meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents for achieving additional progress in the peaceful process,” Warlick said.
The meetings of Presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg achieved certain results in reducing violence on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. “The negotiation process is restored and agreement to reduce the risks of violence was reached,” co-chair stressed.
Warlick also noted that both sides of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict are expected to commit their obligations of peaceful solution of the problem. “Despite the fact that the situation along the line of contact and Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable, we are concerned by the recent ceasefire regime violation. We expect the sides to implement their assumed responsibilities for the peaceful solution of the conflict and will avoid escalation of violence,” diplomat noted.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the 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.
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.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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