TODAY.AZ / Politics

Azerbaijani MP raises proposal for OSCE MG co-chairs expansion

20 February 2015 [15:04] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani MP once again voiced an initiative to include Germany and Turkey in the OSCE Minsk Group.

He made the proposal at an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session on February 19.

“The unsuccessful activity of the OSCE Minsk Group, established over 20 years ago for the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict forces us to look for more effective mechanisms and new approaches,” said Azay Guliyev, Deputy Chairman of the OSCE PA’s committee on political affairs and security.

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.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far despite the efforts of the co-chair countries over 20 years.

Guliyev added that first of all, it is necessary to review the composition of the co-chairmanship and expand the format.

“Given that Germany and Turkey would be the most appropriate countries, it is possible to replace the current co-chairmanship institute with a council of five chairmen,” Guliyev said.

Explaining why Germany should be included in the OSCE Minsk Group, he earlier said the group has the abilities to effectively use the Eastern Partnership program, the members of which are Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the resources and potential of the EU in close cooperation with the co-chair countries, i.e. the U.S., Russia and France.

“In making this initiative, I’d like to recall the statement of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that her country is interested in playing an active role in resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and is ready for this,” Guliyev said.

He went on to add that Turkey has historical ties in the Caucasus enabling it to influence others. This capability can be combined with resources of the abovementioned four countries contributing to the signing of a peace agreement as soon as possible.

“If we add to this, Armenia’s talks to open borders and establish relations with Turkey, as well as the stance of Turkey, which believes that normalization process depends on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem’s resolution, Turkey’s co-chairmanship is logical and positive,” he said.

He asked Ivica Dacic, the current OSCE chairman and Serbian Foreign Minister, as well as the OSCE Ministerial Council to consider his proposal within the existing rules.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/138821.html

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