OSCE PA President says Nagorno- Karabakh painful conflict for Europe
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
President of the OSCE PA George Tsereteli has voiced his concern over the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which he said is a painful conflict for Europe.
“I believe that the conflict that started decades ago and which is painful for Europe should be resolved,” Tsereteli stated on December 9.
He stressed that meetings of Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s political leaders, including the foreign ministers, must always be hailed.
“There must be mutual understanding as a means of peaceful settlement of the conflict. First of all, peoples of the South Caucasus are interested in the settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. These meetings are valuable, and I am absolutely sure that this context is important,” he noted.
Tsereteli added that discussions on resolving the conflict and meetings held between political leaders are very important and, above all, meet the interests of the peoples of the South Caucasus.
“OSCE has great potential in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but political leaders must demonstrate their will,” he emphasized.
Tsereteli further informed that at a meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers Council, there was discussion about the upcoming snap elections, Azerbaijan’s participation in the OSCE and the reform process with the Azerbaijani foreign minister.
Earlier, at the 26th OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava on December 5, Tsereteli said that more optimistic signs were needed for regulation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The OSCE Minsk Group has been negotiating the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992.
They are mandated to provide an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process; to obtain conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference, and to promote the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region began in February 1988 upon Armenia's territorial claims to Azerbaijan. The authorities of Azerbaijan lost control over the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding seven regions during the subsequent military conflict.
Since 1992, negotiations have been underway for a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) on unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijan's territories. However, due to the unconstructiveness of Armenia, these resolutions remain on paper.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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