Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Protracted Conflicts Andrey Deshchitsa warns about the serious situation in the region due to the lingering conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to be complicated and may explode, particularly in connection with the intention of Armenia to open air traffic to the region, he said at a meeting of the Strategic Discussion Club in Kiev on June 12, UKRINFORM news agency reported.

Deshchitsa said the Ukrainian chairmanship of the OSCE has offered both sides to hold a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents as soon as possible.

He also pointed to the stabilizing factors in the region, in particular, this year's presidential elections in Azerbaijan and Armenia. In addition, the Sochi Olympics to be held by Russia next year is also a stabilizing factor, according to Deshchitsa.

"Russia is interested in a tranquil and safe Caucasus," he said, adding that Russia is playing a constructive role in maintaining regional security.

Earlier, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said Ukraine's OSCE chairmanship lends its full support to the efforts of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in assisting the parties to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Kozhara also said that on June 17-20, during a visit to the South Caucasus region, he will call for more active peace negotiations.

Kozhara will stay in Azerbaijan on June 17-18, in Georgia on June 18-19, and in Armenia on June 19-20. During the visit, he will meet with the leaders of those countries and representatives of political parties to discuss the pressing issues related to OSCE activities in the region.

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.