Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 5
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
OSCE welcomed the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents at the organisation's November meeting held for the first time since the one in January 2012, incumbent chairman of the organisation, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said at the 20th OSCE ministerial meeting in Kiev today.
"OSCE supports the Minsk Group's efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," 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 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.