Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expects decisive steps from the OSCE Minsk Group over the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"We hope that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will step up their activity for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and demonstrate a more decisive and expedient approach in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said while commenting on the appointment of the new US co-chair of the Minsk Group, local media reported.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced on August 5 the appointment of Ambassador James Warlick as the next US co-chair of the Minsk Group.

Adbullayev said each of the co-chairing countries has its own approach to the resolution of the conflict and it remains unchanged regardless of the diplomat working as a Minsk Group co-chair.

"Every diplomat fulfills his country's mission. Of course, professionalism and human factors are very important," Abdullayev said.

The ministry spokesman added that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved due to Armenia's unconstructive position and Azerbaijan is concerned over the lack of adequate response to this by the international community.

In a statement on the appointment of the new mediator to the Minsk Group, Secretary Kerry said that the United States is firmly committed to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, the U.S. State Department website said.

"He is a first-rate diplomat, and I am confident that he will do a tremendous job in this critical post. The United States remains firmly committed to helping the sides reach a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Kerry said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, defying the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on a pullout from the occupied territories.

Ambassador Warlick is due to take up his new position in September.

He most recently served as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and lead negotiator for the Bilateral Security Agreement with Afghanistan. He served as Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2009-2012, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and Director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs from 2005 to 2006.

Ian Kelly currently acts as a temporary representative of the United States to the Minsk Group.

Kelly was named as the US co-chair on an interim basis on December 21, 2012, pending the appointment of a new permanent co-chair.

In December Robert Bradtke completed his term as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair.

The United States, along with Russia and France, has long been working to broker a solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group, but their efforts have been largely fruitless so far.

Peace talks 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.