Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

The fighting and tragic loss of life in late December 2016 once again underscored the importance of negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Richard Hoagland told Armenian News.am on January 31.

“We continue to urge the sides to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and take any steps to reduce tensions along the line of contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border,” the diplomat added.

Hoagland said that the events of late December once again emphasized the importance of negotiations and working towards a settlement that can bring lasting peace to the region.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acts as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, it failed to make any move to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process so far.

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.

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

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

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