Azernews.Az

Recent incidents on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops will be among issues on the agenda during a visit to Baku by the OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which begins Tuesday, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza has said.

"In addition to that, I am not expecting anything especially new from the visit. But they [the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group] may bring additional energy into the negotiating process," Bryza said.

The ambassador voiced support for the initiatives to arrange meetings between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno Karabakh.

"I believe that contacts between the Azerbaijanis and Armenians should be intense. Only in this case will it be possible to strike a common ground...In my opinion, if there is confidence between the parties, it will be possible to finish work on a framework agreement [on Karabakh settlement]. Afterwards, we can start working on the main peace accord as soon as possible."

The Karabakh conflict emerged during the last few years of the Soviet Union. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including the Nagorno Karabakh region, has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a brutal war.

Peace talks are underway on the basis of the Madrid principles, a peace outline proposed by the US, Russian and French mediators. The Madrid Document covers a return of the Armenia-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, a future determination of the region’s legal status and the right of internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes.