Azerbaijan, Barda, June 7 / Trend, S. Jaliloglu /
The process around Nagorno- arabakh has intensified and one can expect quick results, OSCE Minsk Group Russian Co-Chair Igor Popov told journalists on the Azerbaijani-Armenian contact line.
According to the U.S. Co-Chair Robert Bradtke, the Minsk Group aims to solve the conflict peacefully, and therefore the co-chairs see the need for frequent meetings between the conflict sides.
French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier said the co-chairs are interested in the peaceful resolution of the territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and see the need to intensify negotiations.
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 four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.