Azerbaijan, Baku, June 25 / Trend, A.Gasimova /
The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, stressed today the importance to continue the efforts towards reaching a comprehensive peace settlement on Nagorno-Karabakh, while commenting on yesterday's meeting in Kazan of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the OSCE official website reported.
"I welcome the efforts in reaching common understanding on a number of issues whose resolution will help create the conditions for approval of the Basic Principles. I hope the work to address the outstanding issues will be continued, to pave the way towards resolving the conflict," Ažubalis said.
The summit of the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia ended without reaching an agreement on the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, but the sides mentioned the progress towards this goal, a joint statement after the summit in Kazan said, RIA Novosti reported.
The Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia discussed the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement on Friday in Kazan.
"The Heads of State highlighted the achievement of mutual understanding on a number of issues, the solution of which contributes to creating conditions to approve the basic principles," said the statement.
The document says that the meeting participants reviewed the activities conducted to agree upon the project of basic principles.
"The OSCE stands ready to support and complement, including via my Personal Representative on the conflict, any efforts made at the tripartite level and under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, to put an end to confrontation and instability in the South Caucasus," Ažubalis said.
Ažubalis emphasized the need for strengthening the ceasefire regime.
"I encourage the leaders to follow through on the agreements made in the previous tripartite meetings in Astrakhan in October 2010 and in Sochi in March this year, including to investigate possible incidents on the Line of Contact and refrain from the threat or use of force," he said.
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.