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OSCE Minsk Group: Armenian, Azerbaijani presidents re-commit to respecting ceasefire during Olympics

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 6 February 2014 10:01 (UTC +04:00)
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan re-committed to respecting the ceasefire on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops during the Olympic Games in Sochi, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said.
OSCE Minsk Group: Armenian, Azerbaijani presidents re-commit to respecting ceasefire during Olympics

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.6

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan re-committed to respecting the ceasefire on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops during the Olympic Games in Sochi, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said.

"Good news. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan re-committed to respecting the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire during the Olympics," Warlick wrote on his official Twitter account.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (U.S.), Jacques Faure (France) and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk visited the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region on Feb.4-6 where they met with the leaderships of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The situation remains tense on the contact line. Earlier the head of the press service of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Lieutenant-Colonel Vagif Dergahli told Trend that most ceasefire violations are observed in the directions of Fizuli, Agdam, Terter, Goranboy, Khojavend and Jabrayil districts.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs expressed their deep concern over continued violence in the region

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.

The Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, from Feb.7 to Feb.23.

In total, 98 sets of medals in 15 sports will be competed for and the competitions will be held at 11 sports facilities.

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