Azernews.Az

KAZAN – Azerbaijan and Armenia are at a crucial stage in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, a US mediator said ahead of talks held by the two countries’ leaders in Kazan, Russia on Friday.

"In my view, this is the most important stage in negotiations since 2001 when efforts were made to reach a peace agreement in Key West," OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Robert Bradtke was quoted by Armenia’s Azatutyun (Liberty) radio station as saying.

Speaking to a news briefing at the US embassy in Moscow, Bradtke recalled the recent statement issued in Deauville by the leaders of the Minsk Group co-chairing countries - the United States, France and Russia – urging to "take a decisive step" towards a peaceful settlement and to finalize the basic principles of a peace agreement during the Kazan summit.

"The basic principles are not a peace accord," Bradtke commented. "This is a five and a half-page framework document consisting of 14 clauses which is a guideline for the conflict parties on how they should negotiate to reach a solution. It is a guideline for the ministers on how to formulate key issues to reach a final peace accord."

Azerbaijan and Armenia waged a brutal war in the early 1990s. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces since a ceasefire was signed in 1994. Peace talks are underway on the basis of the Madrid principles, a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The principles include the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes.