OSCE warns Yerevan and Baku against moves that might worsen the situation
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, met the Co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which negotiates with the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan a possible solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The statement issued by the Spanish OSCE Chairmanship says:
"The Co-chairs informed the Minister about current developments on the peace process, which is becoming increasingly complicated due to the upcoming electoral processes in Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2008. They agreed that, in light of these circumstances, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan should not refer to the conflict in ways that might worsen the situation, and that could potentially endanger the progress achieved so far.
"The Co-Chairs keep the OSCE regularly informed about their activities. This is the third time the Co-Chairs have met the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Madrid.
"Minister Moratinos has been actively supporting the endeavors of the Minsk Group. He has met many times with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents and their respective ministers. Last June, as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister Moratinos paid official visits to both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"In 1992, at a conference in the capital of Belarus, the OSCE created the Minsk Group to mediate in the conflict and to call for a peace conference. In 1995, in the face of negotiation delays, the group designated the United States, France and Russia to co-chair the Minsk Group, and negotiate a solution for the conflict and the future Nagorno Karabakh Statute with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Governments."
The statement issued by the Spanish OSCE Chairmanship says:
"The Co-chairs informed the Minister about current developments on the peace process, which is becoming increasingly complicated due to the upcoming electoral processes in Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2008. They agreed that, in light of these circumstances, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan should not refer to the conflict in ways that might worsen the situation, and that could potentially endanger the progress achieved so far.
"The Co-Chairs keep the OSCE regularly informed about their activities. This is the third time the Co-Chairs have met the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Madrid.
"Minister Moratinos has been actively supporting the endeavors of the Minsk Group. He has met many times with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents and their respective ministers. Last June, as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister Moratinos paid official visits to both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"In 1992, at a conference in the capital of Belarus, the OSCE created the Minsk Group to mediate in the conflict and to call for a peace conference. In 1995, in the face of negotiation delays, the group designated the United States, France and Russia to co-chair the Minsk Group, and negotiate a solution for the conflict and the future Nagorno Karabakh Statute with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Governments."
