Baku, Azerbaijan, June 30
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
OSCE will take all the measures and will use all the instruments to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku June 30.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sides and mediators should achieve a certain result that would prevent the escalation of the situation, added Steinmeier.
“We need concrete proposals for that, he said, adding that the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can’t be maintained further.
“Maintaining the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable,” said Germany’s foreign minister.
It is necessary to achieve the constructive settlement of the conflict, said Steinmeier, adding that exactly this issue was earlier discussed during his visit to Yerevan.
“I am glad for the meetings of the two countries’ presidents. We need to hold stage-by-stage talks in order to step up the ceasefire,” he added.
The talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will continue, said Steinmeier, adding that currently, a negotiation cycle is underway.
He pointed out that two meetings were organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in a short time.
“Naturally, it is impossible to achieve results after two meetings,” he said and expressed hope that such meetings will continue.
Steinmeier noted that many OSCE countries are ready to contribute to the conflict’s settlement.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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