Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend S.Aliyev / The American Co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, stated on the 6th of June in Baku, that he has optimistic outcomes from the meeting held in Azerbaijan.
According to him, Azerbaijan and Armenia take constructive steps to regulate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "The sides held very serious talks over the recent period. If they wish to resolve the remaining issues, this year it will be possible to sign an agreement on the base principles," he said.
Bryza once again stated that the conflicting sides are very near to the conflict settlement. Commenting on the meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia scheduled for the 10th of June in Saint-Petersburg, the American politician said that the conference needs to discuss several complicated issues and carry out certain works.
The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus appeared in 1988 due to the territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has occupied 20% of Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven districts of the countries surrounding it. Since 1992 to present time, these territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France and the USA) held peaceful negotiations.