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OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and Head of Karabakh Community Hold Different Opinion on Negotiations

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 17 September 2007 14:36 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend E.Huseynov / Matthew Bryza, an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair in difference to his counterparts from France and Russia, assures that at this stage the community of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be included in the negotiations. "A change of format of talks should not be mentioned at this stage, because a new political season begins in Armenia and Azerbaijan," Bryza stated in Khankendi as a result of talks held on 16 September with representatives from the so-called " Nagorno-Karabakh Republic".

On 14 September the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs pursuing a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict arrived in the region for their next visit. They are holding discussions with the sides on the settlement of the conflict on the basis of proposals provided by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs at the end of the spring.

The US mediator was all for the need of continuing discussions over the proposals which are on the table of talks, Mediamax reported. As a result of a meeting with Bako Saakian, the leader of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh, French Ambassador Bernard Fassier said that once we see representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh at the table of talks the sooner it occurs the better. He reminded that such a format existed earlier and noted that the restoration of Nagorno-Karabakh's participation in the talks depends only on mediators. In turn the Russian co-chair supported his French counterpart.

At the same time the co-chairs noted the pithiness and constructivism of talks with the newly elected 'president' of the so-called ' Nagorno-Karabakh Republic' and voiced their readiness to deepen and develop contacts with the leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Saakian said in talks with journalists that the current format of talks is inefficient and the Karabakh side stated this in a meeting with mediators. "We are grateful to Armenia for its efforts, but the Nagorno-Karabakh must participate in talks to lead the talks to their logical end," the head of the 'NKR' said.

Last week the leader of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh stated in talks with Trend that the two sides had achieved a preliminary agreement on the joining of Azerbaijani and Armenian communities to the negotiations and the international organizations carry out work over this issue. Bahmanov regarded the joining of communities to talks as inevitable.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988 due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has occupied 20% of the Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time active hostilities ended. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

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