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Russia not going to change its OSCE MG co-chair soon

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 24 November 2016 20:38 (UTC +04:00)
Change of OSCE Minsk Group’s US and French co-chairs is a routine process, but Russia does not intend to change its co-chair in the near future, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova.
Russia not going to change its OSCE MG co-chair soon

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 24

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:

Change of OSCE Minsk Group’s US and French co-chairs is a routine process, but Russia does not intend to change its co-chair in the near future, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova.

She made the remarks at a briefing Nov. 24, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

“Igor Popov will continue to work on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,” she added.

James Warlick of the US earlier said he will step down as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair on December 31. France also stated that Stéphane Visconti will take the position of its OSCE MG co-chair soon.

“Taking into account the complexity of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and that this problem is related to the fate of people who live in the conflict zone, I would like to urge the OSCE MG to intensify the negotiation process,” Zakharova said.

“It is necessary to make every effort to advance in the conflict settlement,” she added.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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