OSCE mediators visit 'may change situation' on Karabakh

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' visit to the region may change the situation on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Parliament Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova believes.

The parties to the conflict should show a willingness to continue the negotiation process, Muradova told journalists.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit Azerbaijan on Nov.26.

According to Muradova, the international community should put pressure on Armenia and force it to maintain a constructive position. Otherwise, Azerbaijan will have to return its occupied territories by force, she said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.