Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.12
By Anakhanim Hidayatova - Trend:
The meeting in Helsinki on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a good opportunity for exchange of views and information on the current situation on resolving the conflict, Finnish Foreign Ministry's roving Ambassador for the South Caucasus Christer Michelsson told Trend on Feb.12.
He said Finland will continue supporting the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group on the conflict's settlement.
Michelsson added that the co-chairs are trying to resolve the conflict on the basis of Madrid principles. "Three meetings were held between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in 2014 and we hope that these meetings will continue."
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, James Warlick (the US), Pierre Andrieu (France) and Igor Popov (Russia), as well as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk are on a visit to Finland.
Currently, the co-chairs are holding meetings with Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and the Secretary of State at Finland's Foreign Ministry Peter Stenlund.
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will pay a visit to Azerbaijan on Feb.15, following which they will visit Armenia.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI