Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.24 / Trend M.Aliyev /
Time frame for the OSCE Minsk group should be determined, the ruling party of Azerbaijan said.
"Without determining timeframe functioning of the OSCE Minsk group is inefficient," Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Ali Ahmedov told Trend on Tuesday.
He said sometimes there is an impression that the Minsk group is established not to settle conflict but not to resolve it.
"If this organization hasn't managed for 20 years to take serious step to settle the conflict it will be good if it takes decision on self-dissolution. Or for the OSCE Minsk group timeframe should be determined during which it should take concrete measures to settle the conflict. If it does not manage to do it then the organization doesn't cope with its task," he said.
He said Minsk group should take serious steps to settle the conflict.in order to change critical attitude of the Azerbaijani society towards it.
"If this organization is not able to take such steps I think it's time now to think about new format," Mr Ahmedov said.
He said activities of the Minsk group don't meet expectations of the Azerbaijani society.
"Significant changes in the approach to the activities of the Minsk group are required. Changes should be made to the philosophy of mediation of the Minsk group. The Minsk group is established not only to ensure negotiations but for 20 years its activities has consisted only of this," 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.