Azernews.Az

VIENNA – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, brokering the long-standing Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)-Karabakh, made a statement on Wednesday that additional actions are needed to reinforce the ceasefire and demonstrate a spirit of compromise.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Igor Popov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France and Robert Bradtke of the United States were meeting with members of the group in the Austrian capital Vienna. During the meeting, they briefed the Minsk Group on the recent developments in Armenian-Azerbaijan peace talks.

The co-chairs stated that the efforts made so far by the parties to the conflict "have not been sufficient to overcome their differences", and that additional measures are needed to reinforce the ceasefire and demonstrate a spirit of compromise.

To assist the parties in their efforts, the co-chairs plan to visit the region in early September, says the statement.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict for two decades. Armenian armed forces occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno Garabagh region and its seven surrounding districts, despite four standing UN resolutions on their unconditional pullout. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.