Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 16
By Gulgiz Muradova - Trend:
The Austrian OSCE Chairmanship talked to Trend in an exclusive interview over the state of the peace talks to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Question: What is the value and importance of the South Caucasus for the OSCE and Europe as a whole?
Answer: The South Caucasus is an important region. Its location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, including the Middle East, renders it a significant place of intersection of peoples and cultures. It has for centuries been an important trade and transit corridor, both in the north-south and east-west directions. It is also a region which has had a troubled history of conflict, the effects of which are felt to this day. For these reasons, the OSCE devotes considerable attention to the region, in the interests of peace, stability and prosperity in the region and in the OSCE area more broadly.
Q.: How do you assess the cooperation between Azerbaijan and OSCE?
A.: Azerbaijan has been a participating State of the OSCE, and before that of the CSCE, since January 1992. It takes an active interest in all parts of the Organization’s work. The OSCE devotes considerable resources, including through the work of the Minsk Group, led by its co-chairs, and the important activities on the ground of the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, to the search for a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Q.: Despite its efforts, the OSCE Minsk Group has so far failed to reach a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. What steps do you believe must be taken for the conflict settlement?
A.: As in other years, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been high on the OSCE’s agenda. The OSCE is the main platform where relevant discussions take place, and the international community has been clear that this conflict can only be solved by talks and in a peaceful manner.
The Austrian OSCE Chairmanship closely followed the meeting of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Geneva on 16 October. The Chairmanship hopes this renewed engagement will be reflected in concrete steps to peacefully resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. All steps regarding a settlement are on the table and it is now to the parties to take corresponding decisions. The OSCE Co-Chairs can only facilitate this process, and following the Presidential Summit in Geneva we see now some positive dynamics.
Q.: Do you have proposals on how the OSCE could react more effectively to prevent renewal of hostilities? What steps does the OSCE take to reduce security risks?
A.: After the high-level discussions in Geneva, planning for peace should be the focus of all endeavours. During the Presidential Summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016, concrete proposals for confidence-building measures were made. Among them was the expansion of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, which in principle was accepted by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Chairmanship underlines its continued readiness to further support the efforts for peace on all sides.
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