Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The twentieth anniversary of the OSCE Minsk Group's activity - these are years that have been lost to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The remarks were made by Azerbaijani Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova on May 7.

"We have always criticized the OSCE Minsk Group. On the eve of the 20^th anniversary of the cease-fire, we still cannot speak otherwise," Muradova said. "Many opportunities for solving the conflict had not been used effectively."

Muradova stressed that no significant progress has been achieved in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict so far.

She noted that the issue is discussed at the OSCE's sessions.

Muradova also said it was unacceptable to waste time on resolving the conflict and keep the international community in ignorance.

She said the issue would be discussed at the 23^rd session of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the OSCE, which will be held in Baku from June 28 to July.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, the Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

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. Negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.