Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 20 / Trend M.Aliyev /
France's co-chairmanship in the OSCE Minsk Group may be transferred to Germany, Political Innovation and Technology Center head Mubariz Ahmadoglu told journalists on Wednesday.
"Recently, Germany has been showing increasing interest in the process of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Ahmadoglu said.
Ahmadoglu said the first step in this direction has already been made - the representative of Germany took part in the assessment mission to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the composition of the Monitoring Group.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier (France), Robert Bradtke (the United States), and Igor Popov (Russia) carried out the Field Assessment Mission to the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Co-Chairs' Mission was supported by OSCE Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his staff, working with de facto local authorities. On the Co-Chairs' invitation, three technical experts, including two from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), assisted them in their tasks.
He said Germany is interested in reducing the possibility of conflicts in the region.
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.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at [email protected]