Azernews.Az

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of the United States of America, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, and Jacques Faure of France) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region November 19 to 26 to continue their efforts to assist the parties in finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, OSCE website reported on Monday.

The Co-Chairs discussed the ideas on the continuation of the peace process that they had presented to the ministers in their joint meeting on October 27. The sides agreed to carry out further work on the level of the Foreign Ministers.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs held meetings in Baku, Yerevan, and with the separatist authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh in the occupied Khankandi region . They also visited Zangilan and Jabrail regions of Azerbaijan to assess developments in these territories since their last visit in October 2010.

The Co-Chairs expressed appreciation to Ambassador Kasprzyk and his team for their work in monitoring the ceasefire during this difficult period and for facilitating this trip to the region, particularly the travel to Zangilan and Jabrail regions.

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 Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.