Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The Ukrainian Chairmanship of the OSCE supports the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairs.

Special envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrey Deshitsa made such a statement at the meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Yerevan, Armenian media reported.

During the meeting, Nalbandian spoke about the steps taken to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The two sides also discussed the issues related to the upcoming visit to Armenia of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

Earlier, Deshitsa was on a visit to Azerbaijan, where he was received by Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, the OSCE Chairman's forthcoming visit to Azerbaijan and other issues on the agenda of the OSCE.

Mammadyarov said the delay in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is the main obstacle to peace and stability in the region and noted the importance of a withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against the neighboring country. Since a lengthy war between the two South Caucasus countries that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis and ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Peace talks brokered by Minsk Group co-chairs representing the United States, Russia and France have been largely fruitless so far.

The negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a 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.