Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 28 / Trend /
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group expressed concern over the lack of tangible progress in of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations, organization's report said on Thursday.
The Co-Chairs Robert Bradtke (United States of America), Igor Popov (Russian Federation), and Jacques Faure (France) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met on Wednesday with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, and on Thursday with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov in New York.
In their separate meetings with the Ministers, the Co-Chairs discussed recent developments in the region and continued to urge the parties to return to the substance of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations.
The Ministers reiterated their support for a peaceful solution, and their readiness to continue the 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 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 U.S. - 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.