A comprehensive solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be achieved if the problem of refugees is ignored, James Warlick, the OSCE Minsk Group's US co-chair, said in Yerevan Oct.26, the Armenian News.am agency reported.
He went on to add that the problem is not always discussed in public, but it receives due attention at all the meetings.
The region has hundreds of thousands of refugees, he said. It is necessary to listen to them, said Warlick, adding that refugees and internally displaced persons should be allowed to return to their homes.
The co-chair also said that during the upcoming visit to Azerbaijan, he will meet with representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The visit of the OSCE Minsk Group to Azerbaijan will be held on October 28.
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.