Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
OSCE Minsk Group reached an agreement in principle to resume the Azerbaijani-Armenian high level contacts, according to a report from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The report included the results of Russian Foreign Ministry's activities and their main directions in 2013 as well as the medium-term goals.
"We worked closely with other countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group (France and the U.S.) as part of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process. An agreement in principle was reached to resume the Azerbaijani - Armenian contacts at the highest level thanks to the joint efforts," according to the message.
The ministry also said that the Russian Federation will continue its active role in political and diplomatic settlement of conflicts in the CIS, in particular it will contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in cooperation with other states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.
"The priority in the ministry's work in the Transcaucasia, will be promoting security and stability in the region," according to the report.
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 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.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by S.I.