Azernews.Az

Russia, the U.S. and France, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group that deals with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, have expressed deep regret at the fact that the parties were not able to find a solution of the problem in the course of negotiations, RIA Novosti reported.

"We express our deep regret at the fact that during the negotiation process, the parties continued to seek unilateral advantages rather than trying to find a solution based on mutual interests," the presidents of the three countries Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande said in a joint statement adopted on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"We are confident that further delay in reaching a balanced framework agreement leading to a comprehensive peace settlement is unacceptable and urge the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to focus on the issues that are still open with renewed energy," the document says.

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 OSCE 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.