Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Ukraine, as the country chairing the OSCE, permanently signals about the need to finalize basic principles for a settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to refrain from unilateral steps and to stabilize the situation on the troops' contact line, Ukraine's Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Kuchta was quoted by Armenian media as saying.

"In addition, our country supports the efforts of the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to promote a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Kuchta said.

According to him, the co-chairs have visited Kiev twice within six months and during the visits substantial discussions were held regarding the process of the conflict settlement.

In July, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said Ukraine will be exceptionally active until the end of this year and will be involved in the resolution of the so-called 'frozen conflicts'.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. 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 the 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 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.