Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.6
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
OSCE Minsk Group is ready to work with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the US co-chair of the Minsk Group James Warlick told Trend Nov.6.
"We have read the [draft] resolution and would welcome the opportunity to consult with the rapporteur and interested members of PACE on the current approach to Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations," said the US co-chair.
Warlick noted that the OSCE Minsk Group is available to work with any organization to help find a way forward on a lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
It is also important to keep in mind that the Minsk Group format is accepted by the sides, and the co-chairs will continue the mediation efforts on a settlement based on the principles of territorial integrity, self-determination, and the non-use of force, he added.
In a draft resolution approved Nov.4, the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) called for the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
It also called for the establishment of full sovereignty of Azerbaijan in these territories, in the framework of the OSCE Minsk process.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. 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 the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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