Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 27 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Azerbaijan calls the OSCE to make a statement on the Minsk Group.
"Steps of France, which is a co-chairman of the Minsk Group, provide a basis to say that France is not ready to mediate impartially. The OSCE which established the Minsk Group, should assess the step taken by France as a co-chair," Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Ali Ahmedov told reporters on Monday.
The OSCE should make a statement about how France will act as a fair mediator in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, after it, being one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, openly assumed the role of defender of Armenia, he said.
"The OSCE should take a decision on France, and finally determine the time frame to solve this problem," Mr Ahmedov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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.