Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 3
Trend:
OSCE should move decisively in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said at a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade Dec. 3.
"We have accomplished a great deal in 40 years," he said. "But our work clearly remains far from complete. Protracted conflicts in Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan are still unresolved, great frozen conflicts. We need move decisively to rebuild military transparency in Europe and increase information sharing among our forces."
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.