A summit of Azeri, Armenian leaders would boost Karabakh talks: OCSE

January 17, 2019 - 10:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A possible summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia would give a strong impulse to the dynamic of negotiations, a statement issued by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said on Wednesday, January 16.

The co-chairs - Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America - hosted consultations between Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Paris on Wednesday. They met separately and then jointly with the Ministers. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in these meetings. This was the fourth meeting of the two Ministers.

State Secretary for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne reviewed the outcomes of the talks with the participants. The co-chairs were received at the Elysée Palace, where they briefed top diplomatic advisers of President Emmanuel Macron.

The participants expressed to the Ministers their appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the sides to maintain an environment conducive to intensive results-oriented negotiations.

The Ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and agreed upon the necessity of taking concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace.

During the meetings, the co-chairs reviewed with the Ministers key principles and parameters for the current phase of the negotiation process.

The Ministers and the co-chairs considered next steps toward a possible summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in order to give a strong impulse to the dynamic of negotiations.

The co-chairs underlined the importance of possible mutually beneficial initiatives designed to fulfill the economic potential of the region.

The co-chairs plan to meet the leaders of the two countries in the near future.

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.