President, OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs discuss Karabakh conflict

November 5, 2013 - 19:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan discussed the Karabakh conflict settlement with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, ambassadors James Warlick of the United States, Igor Popov of Russia, Jacques Faure of France and Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office.

According to presidential press service, no details of the meeting were provided,

Earlier, the ambassadors met with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, with the parties focusing on possible routes to promote solution of the conflict. The co-chairs briefed the Armenian official on the results of meetings held in Baku.

Nalbandian further drew the co-chairs’ attention to Baku’s military rhetoric as well as frequent violations of ceasefire, noting that the latters undermine the settlement efforts.

Possibility of a meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders was further noted.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The OSCE Minsk Group

The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Minsk Group is headed by a Co-Chairmanship consisting of France, Russia and the United States. The main objectives of the Minsk Process are as follows: Providing an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process supported by the Minsk Group; Obtaining conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference; Promoting the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces.