Azernews.Az

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier has expressed concern over the lack of progress in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

"When it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh everyone is concerned about the absence of progress, and the deterioration of the situation on the ground, with 28 people killed only this year," Zannier said in an interview with Russian news agency Interfax on Tuesday. "I personally share this concern. We continue to support the efforts of the [OSCE] Minsk Group and its co-chairs -- Russia, France and the U.S. [brokering Karabakh settlement]."

According to him, no international efforts can be effective if there is no political will on both sides to negotiate a peaceful solution.

"This is what I stressed during my recent meetings with the respective foreign ministers in New York. Returning to the substance of the negotiations and looking ahead are the only ways to prevent escalation and bring the long-awaited security to the region," Zannier added.

The Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two South Caucasus neighbors fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on a pullout from Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions.