Karabakh conflict resolution is one of NKR MFA priorities

PanARMENIAN.Net - One of the most important priorities of the NKR Foreign Ministry and one of the basic directions of its activity is the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakhi conflict, says a statement issued by NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian on occasion of 15th anniversary of the NKR MFA.



"On May 5, 1994, the Bishkek Protocol was signed under the aegis of the CIS inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and already on May 12, a Cease-fire Agreement was reached through the mediation of the Russian Federation, undersigned by official representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.



Simultaneously, negotiations were held within the OSCE Minsk Group on the level of experts of the Foreign Ministries of Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. In addition, a number of bilateral meetings between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, including contacts on the front line on different levels took place. Only in 1993, official Baku made 10 agreements on termination of hostilities, cease-fire or its extension just with the Nagorno Karabakh leadership.



No less a factor for the maintenance of the cease-fire is the fact that already for more than 14 years the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office regularly conducts monitorings of Line of Contact (LoC) between the Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces, controlled by the conflicting parties without peacekeeping forces.



From May 1997 to November 1998, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Conference - the United States, Russia and France, have thrice put forward new proposals on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The first two plans of the OSCE MG were accepted by both Azerbaijan and Armenia but rejected by Nagorno Karabakh. The third proposal, which was based on the concept of "common state" and provided for the comprehensive settlement of the conflict by means of resuming negotiations without preconditions and provided an opportunity to exercise the NKR people's right to self-determination, was accepted by the NKR and Armenia, but rejected by Azerbaijan.



During the past years, meetings and consultations have been conducted under the auspices of the OSCE MG Co-chairs between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents and foreign ministers, at which the basic principles of the NK conflict settlement have been discussed. The position of the Karabakh party is that the agreements must first of all solve the issues concerning the reasons of the conflict (the political status and security of Nagorno Karabakh), and then - issues related to the consequences of the conflict (controlled territories, refugees, restoration of communications, etc). There is an urgent need for resuming in the nearest future full-format negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE MG with the obligatory participation of NKR," the statement says.