Azerbaijan, Baku, September 28 /Trend/
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in New York on Thursday, said in report of organization.
The Co-Chairs and the Ministers continued discussions on the substance of the peace process.
The Co-Chairs stressed the commitment of their three countries to support the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
They also referred to the statement of their three Presidents on June 18, 2013, with special attention to the appeal to the sides to refrain from any actions or rhetoric that could raise tension in the region and lead to escalation of the conflict.
The Ministers reiterated their determination to continue working with the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The Co-Chairs expect to visit the region in November to discuss with the Presidents their planned summit meeting later this year.
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 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.