Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 8 /Trend/
"The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation) and Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk (Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office) met on September 7 in Vienna to discuss and coordinate their program of activities, leading up to the Vilnius Ministerial Council of the OSCE in December, the OSCE press release said.
The Co-Chairs also briefed the OSCE Minsk Group on the continued high-level engagement with the sides by all three Co-Chair governments, as well as on concrete efforts to strengthen the ceasefire and to reach endorsement of the Basic Principles as a framework for a comprehensive peace agreement.
On September 8, the Co-Chairs met with OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier to further discuss these and other aspects of the peace process."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the 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.