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Zakharova: OSCE MG co-chairs to mull steps to intensify Karabakh conflict settlement

18 October 2018 19:35 (UTC+04:00)
Zakharova: OSCE MG co-chairs to mull steps to intensify Karabakh conflict settlement

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group intend to visit the region soon.

This was stated by Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova at a press conference on October 17.

"During the visit, they intend to specify the position of the countries and discuss what concrete actions could be taken to intensify the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the agreements recently reached in Dushanbe," she said.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a conversation on the sidelines of the CIS Summit in Dushanbe. The parties affirmed their commitment to the process of negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the strengthening of the ceasefire regime for preventing incidents on the line of contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The sides decided to develop mechanisms for building prompt contacts between relevant authorities.

Zakharova stressed that everybody knows the position of Russia as a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group.

"This position has been outlined in joint statements made by the presidents of Russia, the US and France in 2009-2013, foreign ministers, as well as co-chairmen of three countries," she added.

Today, Russia is one of Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Conference -- an institution that received "the main mandate to resolve this conflict". For this reason Russia has influence due to the fact that it is “not only an intermediary” in matters of regulation Karabakh conflict. Russia has significant potential to provide substantial impact on the course of events in the Caucasus, in particular, on the settlement of Karabakh conflict.

Negotiations recognized as the main means of resolving the Karabakh conflict. This agreement continues to this day, largely due to the Russian mediation mission and the political will of the conflicting sides.

Russia has always played a very active role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and along with the U.S. and France is a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, which spearheads the OSCE’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

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.

Negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are still underway within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. 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.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries 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 districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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