Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 31
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit the South Caucasus in the first decade of February, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Jan. 31.
"In the first decade of February, the co-chairs intend to visit the region to clarify the positions of the sides on the problematic issues of the [Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict settlement," she said.
Zakharova added that by showing the political will, only the sides themselves may find a compromise solution that will put an end to this really protracted conflict.
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.