Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 26 / Trend U.Sadikhova /
Resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the main topic of discussions at a meeting between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair in New York on Sept. 25, the ministry said.
Mammadyarov's meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France and Robert Bradtke of the United States, was held under the 64th UN General Assembly in New York.
On Sept. 25, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan held a meeting in New York with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as with Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Minister Nalbandyan welcomed Robert Bradtke as OSCE MG Co-Chair and expressed hope that his diplomatic experience will contribute to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Novosti Armenia wrote.
In September, Former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Robert Bradtke, has been appointed the new U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE MG.
Bradtke was previously engaged in Balkans issues and U.S. relations with NATO and the OSCE from 2001 to 2004, and, just like former U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE MG, Matthew Bryza, had, he has also served as Deputy Assistant to the U.S. State Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs.
At their meeting, which lasted for about two hours, the Armenian minister and the OSCE MG co-chairs discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, as well as the co-chairs' possible visit to the region to organize a meeting of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.