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SWITZERLAND REJECTS 'STATUS QUO' IN STALLED KARABAKH TALKS
Agence France Presse
June 4, 2014 Wednesday 1:18 PM GMT
YEREVAN, June 04 2014
Swiss President Didier Burkhalter on Wednesday called on arch-foes
Azerbaijan and Armenia to revitalise stalled negotiations on resolving
their decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
"The status quo is not really an option. We have to move to peace step
by step," Burkhalter -- who is also chairman of the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) -- told a news conference
in Yerevan.
He said Switzerland was ready to contribute towards finding a peaceful
solution to the conflict and backed a proposal for a meeting in Paris
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
"We are ready to develop Swiss support, Swiss contribution in this
process," Burkhalter said.
"The new meeting of two presidents should be a starting point for
new phase in negotiations."
In Yerevan, the Swiss president concluded a three-day visit to the
South Caucasus, which saw him holding high-level talks in Azerbaijan
on Monday and Georgia on Tuesday.
There has been an increase in violence in recent months along the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border and at the Karabakh frontline, with both
sides regularly accusing the other of tit-for-tat raids.
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations
since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.
Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force
if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.
The Karabakh peace talks are mediated by the so-called OSCE Minsk
Group, which is co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
From: A. Papazian
Agence France Presse
June 4, 2014 Wednesday 1:18 PM GMT
YEREVAN, June 04 2014
Swiss President Didier Burkhalter on Wednesday called on arch-foes
Azerbaijan and Armenia to revitalise stalled negotiations on resolving
their decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.
"The status quo is not really an option. We have to move to peace step
by step," Burkhalter -- who is also chairman of the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) -- told a news conference
in Yerevan.
He said Switzerland was ready to contribute towards finding a peaceful
solution to the conflict and backed a proposal for a meeting in Paris
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
"We are ready to develop Swiss support, Swiss contribution in this
process," Burkhalter said.
"The new meeting of two presidents should be a starting point for
new phase in negotiations."
In Yerevan, the Swiss president concluded a three-day visit to the
South Caucasus, which saw him holding high-level talks in Azerbaijan
on Monday and Georgia on Tuesday.
There has been an increase in violence in recent months along the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border and at the Karabakh frontline, with both
sides regularly accusing the other of tit-for-tat raids.
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorny Karabakh from Azerbaijan in
a 1990s war that killed 30,000 people. Despite years of negotiations
since a 1994 ceasefire, the two sides have yet to sign a peace deal.
Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force
if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed to
retaliate against any military action.
The Karabakh peace talks are mediated by the so-called OSCE Minsk
Group, which is co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
From: A. Papazian