Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

All the parties should make every effort for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick wrote on his Twitter page on February 26.

Commenting on the day of remembrance of the Khojaly tragedy victims, he said: "We must remember that violence is not the way for solution".

Warlick said earlier in his interview to Armenpress, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will continue consultations with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during the next two years and in the near future.

Touching upon the measures, implementation of which is necessary for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the U.S co-chair reiterated the call of presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group member states (U.S., France and Russia) to the conflicting sides in 2013 to affirm their commitment to the Helsinki principles.

Warlick further said the way forward should be determined by the parties themselves and the U.S. is ready to assist them in this as far as possible.

He also expressed hope for a meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in the near future.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.