Азербайджан, Баку, 24 мая /Trend/
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region on May 23-24 and met with Azerbaijani President Aliyev in Baku on 23 May, and Armenian President Sargsyan in Yerevan on 24 May, OSCE statement released on Friday says.
The Presidents and the Co-Chairs discussed developments since their last meetings, reiterated their commitment to the peace process, and exchanged views on the need for a summit later this year.
The Co-Chairs expressed their readiness to explore ideas for moving the process forward, and reiterated the need to avoid actions or rhetoric that could raise tensions or damage the negotiations. They will meet with the Foreign Ministers in the coming weeks to explore mutually-acceptable approaches to resolving the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan.
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 peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the occupied territories.