Azernews.Az

The new head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Mignon, does not expect the work of the PACE subcommittee on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh to produce tangible result.

"I have never believed this subcommittee would be able to operate and achieve any tangible result," the 61-year-old French lawmaker told a news conference marking the start of the PACE winter session in Strasbourg on Monday. "I think we should trust the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I am more than confident that the conflict will be resolved within the framework of the Minsk Group."

The Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France, has been mediating peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Mignon said the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be resolved, calling on Azerbaijan and Armenia to move forward in settling the long-standing dispute.

"I hope both the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides will show more common sense at the Parliamentary Assembly. I think that if the parties continue to hold on to those positions as before, we will not achieve any progress," Mignon said.

He also said political will and desire should be demonstrated in resolving the Karabakh conflict.

"I can say based on my personal experience that sometimes it is necessary to take a more constructive position to be heard by either of the sides," the PACE president added.

This story is published by AzerNEWS Weekly under a project funded by the Foundation for State Assistance to the Development of the Media under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic.