Date of Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs' meeting announced
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, participating in the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, will meet in New York on September 26, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement on September 24.
The ministry noted that during the meeting the FMs will be accompanied by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the U.S., as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed at the meeting.
The last meeting between Mammadyarov and Mnatsakanyan was held in Brussels on July 11 under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. During the meeting, the ministers exchanged views regarding the situation on the ground and discussed next steps and parameters for re-engaging in substantive negotiations.
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.
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.
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.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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