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BAKU CALLS FOR SERIOUS TALKS OVER CONFLICT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 17 2015
17 February 2015, 15:13 (GMT+04:00)
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Azerbaijan is ready to start serious negotiations to prepare a draft
peace agreement on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, said a top
Azerbaijani official.
Elmar Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister, exchanged views with Co-Chairman
of the Minsk Group of Organization for Security and Cooperation Igor
Popov (Russia), Pierre Andrieu (France), and James Warlick (US), and
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman Andrzej Kasprzyk during
talks on the negotiation process to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, in Baku on February 16 .
Focusing on the ceasefire violation, Mammadyarov called on the
mediators to urge Armenia to liberate the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan based on international law and four UN Security Council
resolutions as the first step of the settlement process.
"The withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories will be an important step to resolve the conflict and to
build trust between the sides," he said.
Mammadyarov underlined an urgent need to start serious negotiations
on the draft peace agreement.
"Azerbaijan is ready for these negotiations," he said.
The sides also discussed the schedule of actions to start working on
a peace agreement.
Meanwhile, Pierre Andrieu, French Co-Chairman, said the Minsk Group
mediators will do everything to reduce tension in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
"We hope that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will keep on
meeting in the future. We would like the presidents to meet during
the upcoming summit of the UN General Assembly in September. The final
decisions are usually made by the presidents. We are trying to play a
mediation role. It is not easy, but we are moving in this direction,"
he noted.
Andrieu added that the Minsk Group co-chairmen will soon visit
member-states of the Minsk Group, including Belarus, Serbia and Italy.
He also talked about the recent negotiations in Helsinki through
the invitation of the Finnish foreign minister. Andrieu said the
middlemen informed the Finnish side about the current situation in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Andriue revealed the plan of the co-chairmen to meet with
representatives of the Red Cross in Baku and Yerevan as part of the
current visit to the region.
"We would like the Red Cross to start working over the hostages issue
as soon as possible, because thousands of families want to know about
their relatives. It is a sensitive topic, being a part of the measures
for rapprochement and understanding," he said.
Touching upon the conflict in Ukraine, Andrieu noted that it does not
affect the coordination of the OSCE Minsk Group and the co-chairmen
are working as they did before.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/77759.html
From: A. Papazian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 17 2015
17 February 2015, 15:13 (GMT+04:00)
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Azerbaijan is ready to start serious negotiations to prepare a draft
peace agreement on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, said a top
Azerbaijani official.
Elmar Mammadyarov, Foreign Minister, exchanged views with Co-Chairman
of the Minsk Group of Organization for Security and Cooperation Igor
Popov (Russia), Pierre Andrieu (France), and James Warlick (US), and
Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman Andrzej Kasprzyk during
talks on the negotiation process to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, in Baku on February 16 .
Focusing on the ceasefire violation, Mammadyarov called on the
mediators to urge Armenia to liberate the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan based on international law and four UN Security Council
resolutions as the first step of the settlement process.
"The withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories will be an important step to resolve the conflict and to
build trust between the sides," he said.
Mammadyarov underlined an urgent need to start serious negotiations
on the draft peace agreement.
"Azerbaijan is ready for these negotiations," he said.
The sides also discussed the schedule of actions to start working on
a peace agreement.
Meanwhile, Pierre Andrieu, French Co-Chairman, said the Minsk Group
mediators will do everything to reduce tension in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
"We hope that the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will keep on
meeting in the future. We would like the presidents to meet during
the upcoming summit of the UN General Assembly in September. The final
decisions are usually made by the presidents. We are trying to play a
mediation role. It is not easy, but we are moving in this direction,"
he noted.
Andrieu added that the Minsk Group co-chairmen will soon visit
member-states of the Minsk Group, including Belarus, Serbia and Italy.
He also talked about the recent negotiations in Helsinki through
the invitation of the Finnish foreign minister. Andrieu said the
middlemen informed the Finnish side about the current situation in
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Andriue revealed the plan of the co-chairmen to meet with
representatives of the Red Cross in Baku and Yerevan as part of the
current visit to the region.
"We would like the Red Cross to start working over the hostages issue
as soon as possible, because thousands of families want to know about
their relatives. It is a sensitive topic, being a part of the measures
for rapprochement and understanding," he said.
Touching upon the conflict in Ukraine, Andrieu noted that it does not
affect the coordination of the OSCE Minsk Group and the co-chairmen
are working as they did before.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied
20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and
seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently
holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/77759.html
From: A. Papazian