Today.Az » Politics » Top diplomat: Armenia’s unconstructive approach hinders Karabakh conflict resolution
11 March 2014 [12:51] - Today.Az
By AzerNews
The lack of a constructive approach from the Armenian side is an obstacle for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, promoting the peace process, and resuming peace and stability in the region.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Paris on March 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend Agency.
The meeting was attended by co-chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Jacques Faure (France), James Warlick (the U.S.), and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk.
During the meeting, the parties expressed concern over the non-settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Paris meeting discussed the current state of the negotiation process for resolving the conflict.
Mammadyarov reaffirmed the willingness of the Azerbaijani side to sign a comprehensive peace agreement, and stressed the necessity of the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories to promote peace.
Following the meeting, U.S. co-chairman wrote on his Twitter page on March 11 that productive talks on key issues and the way forward on a negotiated settlement were held among the OSCE mediators and the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister.
Warlick said the OSCE Minsk Group hopes the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet this month, and also noted that only the presidents can address the most difficult issues regarding peace.
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.
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