OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to visit region
By Sara Rajabova
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit the South Caucasus region as part of the preparations for the upcoming meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents.
The U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend Agency that U.S. Co-Chair of the Minsk Group James Warlick will be in the region with co-chairs Pierre Andre (France) and Igor Popov (Russia) on October 14-18 to prepare for the Paris meeting.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan are expected to meet in Paris in late October on the initiative of French President Francois Hollande to discuss the settlement of the long-lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The U.S. Embassy's message quotes Warlick: "We look forward to meeting with both Presidents".
Meanwhile, Warlick said it is important that the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents meet regularly and continue to narrow differences on elements of a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He said, however, such meetings are not sufficient. "We continue to believe that a negotiating process is needed to make progress necessary for a lasting peace".
Warlick noted that constructive talks were held in New York, referring to the recent meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, held with the participation of the OSCE Minks Group co-chairs on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
"We discussed preparations for the upcoming summit in Paris, where French President Hollande will host President Sargsyan and President Aliyev," Warlick said.
"While there is not yet an agreement on the format of the meeting, we support all opportunities for the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss the conflict."
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, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal 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.