Azerbaijan, Baku, June 6 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva/
The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, will travel to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan next week to meet government leaders, representatives of political parties for discussions of the OSCE's work in the region, the OSCE website reported.
The Chairperson will be in Yerevan on 11 and 12, Tbilisi on 12 and 13 and Baku on 13 and 14 June.
Making progress towards lasting settlements of protracted conflicts in the OSCE area is a key priority of the Irish OSCE Chairmanship. During the visit the Chairperson-in-Office will discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, issues following the 2008 conflict in Georgia and co-operation with the OSCE, in particular with its Offices in Yerevan and Baku.
The Chairperson-in-Office will hold news conferences in Yerevan, Tbilisi and Baku. For details, please contact the OSCE offices in Yerevan and Baku, and Frane Maroevic, OSCE Deputy Spokesperson, who will accompany the Chairperson-in-Office.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the US - are currently holding 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.