Azernews.Az

The new president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Riccardo Migliori, has called to step up the role of parliaments in the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, Armenpress news agency reported.

``I am firmly confident that establishing permanent dialogue on the parliamentary level could contribute to a solution, and I intend to invite the chairmen of the two countries` parliaments to attend an upcoming OSCE PA meeting and use it as a platform for direct discussions,`` Migliori was quoted as saying.

The OSCE`s 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 following a lengthy war in the early 1990s. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Migliori reminded that the OSCE PA annual session will be held in Baku in 2014, which will also help to increase the role of parliaments in aiding a settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

According to Migliori, Turkey should be closely involved in peace talks in order to see whether or not its involvement would assist the conflict parties to reach progress in the peace process.

Regarding the alleged possibility of participation of the self-proclaimed republic run by ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan`s Nagorno Karabakh region in the negotiations as a party, the OSCE PA head noted that the Minsk Group format has already been created and, in his opinion, attempts to change it would be erroneous. However, he stressed the importance of intensifying people-to-people contacts.

Migliori said he has already paid five visits to the region, adding that the next visit may take place in 2013.