Ukraine has 'great expectations' for Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh
By Sara Rajabova
Ukraine as the country chairing the OSCE in 2013 pays much attention to the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukrainian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alexander Mishchenko has said and also expressed Kiev's "great expectations" for the mediating OSCE Minsk Group.
Mishchenko told Trend news agency that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara has stated that Ukraine will pay great attention to the conflicts in the OSCE countries while making a presentation of Kiev's policy.
"We are doing everything possible to somehow get closer to the moment when the conflict will be settled. We see our mission as a country chairing the OSCE in finding these points of contact. But it is necessary to look for those formats that will be effective."
According to him, Ukraine binds great expectations on the Minsk Group regarding the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
"Ukraine believes that the potential of the Minsk Group is far from being exhausted, and the challenge is to strengthen advances in the framework of the Minsk Group. Today, it is the only international format which is designed and can provide progress. Ukraine pays great attention to the activation and improving the efficiency of the Minsk Group," Mishchenko said.
The ambassador said that currently ways of stepping up direct dialogue between the conflict parties are being studied.
Earlier, Ukraine stated that its chairmanship of the OSCE supports a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairs.
In particular, Mishchenko noted, OSCE Special Envoy Andrey Deshitsa recently visited Armenia and Azerbaijan, where he met with high-ranking officials.
During the visit to Baku, a delegation led by Deshitsa met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the sides exchanged views over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.
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 minister noted that the political leadership of Armenia takes a non-constructive position in the negotiation process and stressed the importance of increasing the Minsk Group's mediating efforts in the settlement process.
The Ukrainian ambassador said that currently the issue of organizing a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in the Polish city of Krakow is under discussion.
"The Minsk Group, in our opinion, is an effective mechanism, and it is necessary to use its features. Such a task is set by our Foreign Minister, he is in regular contact with the parties and pays great attention to this," Mishchenko said.
The meeting will take place in the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership ministerial council, which will be held in Krakow on May 17-18, a diplomatic source told Trend.
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.