Azerbaijan, Baku, May 24 / Trend E. Ostapenko /
The Co-Chairs consider that the so-called parliamentary elections should not preempt the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh in the broader framework of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen's statement said.
The Co-Chairs understand the need for the de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh to try to organize democratically the public life of their population with such a procedure. They underscore again that Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized as an independent and sovereign state by any of their three countries, nor by any other country, including Armenia.
Separatist regime held unlawful "parliamentary elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh May 23. Many international organizations, including the Council of Europe, said about the non-recognition of these elections.
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 resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied territories.