Mediating states assess progress on Garabagh after OSCE ministerial
The governments of Russia, France and the United
States, the three countries brokering settlement to the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh dispute, voiced support for Azerbaijan and
Armenia’s efforts on agreeing conflict settlement principles
outlined in 2007, following an OSCE ministerial on Tuesday.
The heads of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group’s delegation, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, met in Athens with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian, says a statement released after the talks.
"The five Heads of Delegation recalled the commitments in the November 2008 Moscow Declaration and the December 2008 Helsinki OSCE Ministerial Statement. They noted the positive dynamic in the talks, demonstrated through six meetings this year between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They agreed that the increasing frequency of these meetings has significantly contributed to an enhanced dialogue between the parties and forward movement toward finalizing the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of the Garabagh conflict, proposed in Madrid on November 29, 2007."
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs submitted the Madrid Document to Baku and Yerevan in November 2007. The basic principles for the conflict settlement, outlined in the document, call for "the return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani control." The outline also covered "a corridor linking Armenia to Upper Garabagh" as well as a future determination of the final legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence."
Ministers Lavrov and Kouchner and Deputy Secretary Steinberg reiterated the commitment of their countries, as expressed in the joint statement on the Garabagh conflict at the L'Aquila Summit of the Eight in July, to support the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they complete work on the Basic Principles and called on the parties to complete this work as soon as possible.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers reported on progress during the course of this year in coordinating points of the Basic Principles and stated the willingness of their countries to complete work on these principles. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work intensively to resolve the remaining issues, to reach an agreement based, in particular, upon the principles of the Helsinki Final Act of Non-Use of Force or Threat of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Equal Rights and Self-Determination of Peoples.
Earlier, on Monday, the Minsk Group co-chairs had separate meetings with Foreign Ministers Mammadyarov and Nalbandian in Athens, also attended by Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal envoy of the OSCE chairperson-in-office. This was followed by a working dinner of the two ministers.
Assessing the discussions, the Azerbaijani minister told the press in the Greek capital: "I assess today’s meeting like this: we have a lot of work to do next year. There is willingness to further intensify talks, and this should be applauded."
Mammadyarov said that, by bringing the parties’ positions closer, at least agreement could be reached on the basic conflict settlement principles, which would create grounds for a comprehensive peace agreement. "An agreement on the basic principles will pave the way for the signing of a peace accord."
Asked whether or not Yerevan had displayed a constructive stance during the talks, Mammadyarov said the discussions were a working session and a document on resolving the conflict was not discussed.
"We spoke about the format of negotiations. The latest discussions on the format had been held in Munich on the level of presidents. Further, the co-chairs began working on the proposals adopted at that meeting. After the co-chairs’ next visit to the region, a schedule can be compiled next year on how peace talks will be continued."
According to Mammadyarov, during the mediators’ visit, which is scheduled for December, holding the next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will be discussed.*
The heads of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group’s delegation, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, met in Athens with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian, says a statement released after the talks.
"The five Heads of Delegation recalled the commitments in the November 2008 Moscow Declaration and the December 2008 Helsinki OSCE Ministerial Statement. They noted the positive dynamic in the talks, demonstrated through six meetings this year between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They agreed that the increasing frequency of these meetings has significantly contributed to an enhanced dialogue between the parties and forward movement toward finalizing the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of the Garabagh conflict, proposed in Madrid on November 29, 2007."
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs submitted the Madrid Document to Baku and Yerevan in November 2007. The basic principles for the conflict settlement, outlined in the document, call for "the return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani control." The outline also covered "a corridor linking Armenia to Upper Garabagh" as well as a future determination of the final legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence."
Ministers Lavrov and Kouchner and Deputy Secretary Steinberg reiterated the commitment of their countries, as expressed in the joint statement on the Garabagh conflict at the L'Aquila Summit of the Eight in July, to support the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they complete work on the Basic Principles and called on the parties to complete this work as soon as possible.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers reported on progress during the course of this year in coordinating points of the Basic Principles and stated the willingness of their countries to complete work on these principles. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work intensively to resolve the remaining issues, to reach an agreement based, in particular, upon the principles of the Helsinki Final Act of Non-Use of Force or Threat of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Equal Rights and Self-Determination of Peoples.
Earlier, on Monday, the Minsk Group co-chairs had separate meetings with Foreign Ministers Mammadyarov and Nalbandian in Athens, also attended by Andrzej Kasprzyk, the personal envoy of the OSCE chairperson-in-office. This was followed by a working dinner of the two ministers.
Assessing the discussions, the Azerbaijani minister told the press in the Greek capital: "I assess today’s meeting like this: we have a lot of work to do next year. There is willingness to further intensify talks, and this should be applauded."
Mammadyarov said that, by bringing the parties’ positions closer, at least agreement could be reached on the basic conflict settlement principles, which would create grounds for a comprehensive peace agreement. "An agreement on the basic principles will pave the way for the signing of a peace accord."
Asked whether or not Yerevan had displayed a constructive stance during the talks, Mammadyarov said the discussions were a working session and a document on resolving the conflict was not discussed.
"We spoke about the format of negotiations. The latest discussions on the format had been held in Munich on the level of presidents. Further, the co-chairs began working on the proposals adopted at that meeting. After the co-chairs’ next visit to the region, a schedule can be compiled next year on how peace talks will be continued."
According to Mammadyarov, during the mediators’ visit, which is scheduled for December, holding the next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will be discussed.*
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