Azernews.Az

OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict urged Azerbaijan and Armenia after talks with their leaders to speed up reaching agreement on a peace outline they proposed to the parties.

In a statement posted on the OSCE website on Monday, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said they continued their discussions with the sides on how to implement the commitments made by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in their January 23 joint statement in the Russian town of Sochi, including to accelerate reaching agreement on the Basic Principles as a framework for a comprehensive peace settlement.

Azerbaijan and Armenia waged a brutal war in the early 1990s that displaced up to a million Azerbaijanis. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since the ceasefire signed in 1994. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

The Basic Principles, which are the basis of the ongoing peace talks, 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 to return home.

The co-chairs -- Robert Bradtke of the United States, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques Faure of France -- called on the parties to work on the mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations and to develop humanitarian contacts.

The co-chairs expressed their concern over recent incidents along the frontlines, and urged the sides to exercise restraint and refrain from retaliation. They also welcomed the sides` reaffirmation of their commitment to seek a peaceful settlement.

The mediators also discussed with the sides the development of confidence-building measures in the military and people-to-people spheres ``to enhance trust and strengthen implementation of the 1994 ceasefire``. In addition, the co-chairs discussed the importance of assessing and preserving at-risk sites of Azerbaijani and Armenian cultural and historical value, in order to protect the shared heritage of the region`s peoples while negotiations continue toward a final and lasting peace.

The co-chairs plan to continue discussions with the foreign ministers of the two countries in the near future.

The co-chairs and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk traveled on May 11-14 to Yerevan and Baku, where they met with Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev to discuss the most recent efforts to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Russian stance
Russia has always been a strong supporter of a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and expects to continue its mediating mission together with the other OSCE Minsk Group countries, MG co-chair Igor Popov said. He was answering the question about whether the newly elected Russian president, Vladimir Putin, intends to continue an active policy to reach a solution of the long-standing dispute.

``One of the first decrees issued by the new president was one concerning Russia`s foreign policy priorities,`` Popov continued. ``Under the decree, Russia, together with the [other] OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, will continue to assist the parties to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, taking into account the agreements reached between 2009 and 2011. I think this clearly indicates the position of Russia.``

Commenting on the co-chairs` visit to the region, Popov said this was a planned trip.

``During the meetings with the president and foreign minister of Azerbaijan we discussed topical issues,`` he said. ``We talked about how to organize contacts with the public and youths. The meetings also focused on the incidents which occurred along the frontlines at the end of April,`` the Russian co-chair said.