Russian, Austrian FMs discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement was discussed on January 18 at a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on January 19.

“This question, among others, was discussed in the context of the transition of OSCE chairmanship to Austria,” - said Zakharova.

Earlier, Kurz stated that Russia can help ensure the OSCE’s ability to deal with the challenges facing the participating states by supporting measures to give it sufficient resources to fulfill its wide-ranging mandate.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.