UN Chief stresses need to revitalize OSCE MG mediation for Karabakh conflict
By Rashid Shirinov
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stressed the need to revitalize the OSCE Minsk Group mediation for the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
In his informal briefing to the UN Member States on his top concerns for 2018, Guterres said that conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. He also noted that global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War, and climate change is moving faster than counter-measures.
Identifying 12 main lines of the UN activities for 2018, Guterres stressed the need for pushing back the dangerous tide of nationalism in Europe, and the need for revitalizing the relevant mediation initiatives for protracted conflicts in Europe, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He noted that the countries of the continent have the levers necessary to overcome these problems.
The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region 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. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijan’s territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. Unfortunately, peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no tangible results so far due to Armenia's unconstructive position on the issue.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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