Azerbaijani FM demands OSCE to intenisfy efforts in Karabakh conflict resolution

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received on Monday a delegation led by the Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrey Deshitsa, a statement released by the press service of the Ministry said.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the issues of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, the OSCE Chairman's visit to Azerbaijan and other issues on the agenda of the OSCE.

Mammadyarov said the delay in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is the main obstacle to peace and stability in the region, and noted the importance of the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The minister noted that the political leadership of Armenia takes a non-constructive position in the negotiation process and stressed the importance of increasing the OSCE Minsk Group's efforts in the settlement process.

Commenting on the commissioning of the Khojaly airport, Mammadyarov said such a move would be a serious violation of the Chicago Convention, and the international law reflects a fair position of Azerbaijan on this issue.

Earlier, Armenian media reported about the commissioning of the airport in Khojaly.
Commissioning the airport in Khojaly s an open violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry reported earlier.

Azerbaijan has banned the use of the airspace of Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Armenia, as no one can guarantee a safe air corridor in the area, the head of the Azerbaijani Civil Aviation Administration, Arif Mammadov said earlier.

He said Armenia's steps directed towards the operation of the airport in Khojaly are attempts to violate international legal norms. This air space belongs to Azerbaijan, so its use by Armenia is impossible.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Civil Aviation Conference (ICAC) also support the position of Azerbaijan on this issue.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/