Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 5
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend: The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs expect clarification of the positions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from each side. Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Igor Popov told journalists on November 5, he hoped for further progress.
Popov made the remarks after his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Armenia Today reported.
"In the past two years, high level meetings of the foreign ministers have been initiated, while, in my opinion, it is time to continue the high-level meetings in order to outline the schedule and clarify the positions, and this opinion is also shared by the co-chairs of the other two countries," Popov said.
A meeting of the co-chairs with the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan is scheduled for Monday.
As for the visit to Baku, the co-chair noted that there were meetings with the Azerbaijani president, foreign minister and defense minister.
Popov said that the discussed issues also included the organization of meetings of presidents, and that this issue will be presented to Serzh Sargsyan.
U.S. co-chair, James Warlick added that the co-chairs are working for the establishment of peace, realizing that the situation is difficult for the parties in the conflict. The co-chairs are planning to organize a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents by late 2013.
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 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.