OSCE MG Co-Chairs plan to organize meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian FMs

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs - Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America - plan to organize a meeting of the Foreign Ministers in the coming weeks to advance the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, OSCE website reported.

According to the report, the Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region March 18 to 22 and April 1 to 6 to continue working to help the sides find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. On April 9, the Co-Chairs briefed ambassadors of the OSCE Minsk Group in Vienna.

In Yerevan, the Co-Chairs met on March 21 with President Sargsian and Foreign Minister Nalbandian. In Baku, they met with President Aliyev and Foreign Minister Mammadyarov on April 2. In two separate trips to Nagorno-Karabakh on March 19-20 and April 4-5, the Co-Chairs met with the de facto authorities.

The Co-Chairs were briefed on the current situation on both sides of the Line of Contact while crossing in two locations on April 4 and 5. They discussed recent security incidents, and also discussed quality of life along the Line of Contact with representatives of local administration.

The Co-Chairs noted the relative calm that prevailed on the Line of Contact during the period of Novruz and Easter, and expressed their hope that this would continue. The Co-Chairs discussed with the Presidents the issue of civil flights to and from the airport in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process, and expressed their support for continued engagement at the highest levels.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.