OSCE Minsk Group presents annual report on their activity over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict solution
By Sara Rajabova
A weekly meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council was held in Vienna on November 14.
At the meeting, the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed among other issues.
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov of Russia, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States presented an annual report on their activities to the OSCE Permanent Council.
The co-chairs called on the sides to remain committed to a peaceful solution of the conflict.
They highlighted their mediatory efforts in the last year, and gave information regarding their visits to the region.
Minsk Group co-chairs and Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, traveled to the region on November 4-5 to continue their efforts to help the sides find a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
They met with President Aliyev in Baku on November 4, and President Sargsyan in Yerevan on November 5, to discuss the importance of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They also met with the Foreign and Defense Ministers of both countries.
The co-chairs said at the Permanent Council's meeting that one of their aims has been organizing a meeting between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Presidents have confirmed their intention to meet in late November to clarify their positions on a settlement and to discuss the way forward.
The co-chairs expressed anxiety over the constant breach of ceasefire on the contact line of the troops, saying the two sides of the conflict hold responsibility for making progress in the negotiation process and for solution of the conflict.
U.S. Ambassador to OSCE Daniel Baer said that the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents can bring new impetus to the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"We welcome confirmation that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan intend to meet and discuss next steps in the settlement process. It is time to turn words into action. As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States remains deeply committed to working with both sides to find a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh," Bear said.
According to him, the U.S. reiterates its strong support for the works of the co-chairs and the Chairmanship's Personal Representative, and appreciates their continued engagement with the sides.
Bear said there is no alternative to a peaceful, negotiated settlement.
Apart from the representatives of the European Union, Switzerland, the U.S. and Turkey, permanent representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia also addressed the meeting.
Azerbaijan`s representative pointed out that his country remains committed to solving the conflict in a peaceful and constructive manner.
He also underlined the importance of the liberation of occupied Azerbaijani lands, saying it has not been possible to move forward in the negotiations because of Armenia`s continuing occupation.
The Azerbaijani representative expressed hope that the sides will soon take steps towards the resolution of the dispute at the meeting between the Presidents of the two countries, and urged Armenia to act in a constructive manner.
The Permanent Council is one of the OSCE's main regular decision-making bodies. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss new developments in the OSCE area and make decisions.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.