Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs conducted a series of meetings in June and July to further develop ideas for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the OSCE website reported.

Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in London on June 6 and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Paris on June 28.

The co-chairs and the ministers continued ongoing discussions on the substance of the peace process, focusing on means to reduce tensions between the sides and create conditions for a meeting at the highest levels later this year.

In a joint meeting in Vienna with the co-chairs on July 12, the two foreign ministers reiterated their commitment to these goals, and discussed plans for further talks in the months ahead.

On July 13, the co-chairs briefed OSCE ambassadors of the Minsk Group in Vienna. The co-chairs will coordinate closely with the sides to develop next steps.

The Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, the United States and Russia, has been mediating peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious ceasefire in 1994 following a lengthy war. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts, has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Azerbaijan recently criticized the work of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the long-standing conflict.

Azerbaijan urged OSCE Chairperson Leonid Kozhara to intensify the efforts of the Minsk Group at a meeting of the Foreign Minister with the OSCE chief on July 8. Kozhara in turn expressed concern over the problem of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and voiced support for the Minsk Group's activity, adding that "we also consider it necessary to step up its activity."

Moreover, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Kozhara will visit Armenia and discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenian officials alongside with other issues.

Peace talks are underway on the basis of the peace outline 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.