Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has received the Secretary of State at the Foreign Ministry of Switzerland chairing the OSCE Yves Rossier, Armenia Today reported citing the Armenian Foreign Ministry.
In his address, Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance of the initiatives of a Swiss chairmanship in the OSCE aimed at improving the efficiency of the organisation's activity.
The interlocutors discussed the OSCE chairman, president of the confederation and head of the Federal Department of Swiss Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter's upcoming visit to Armenia.
The sides discussed the current state of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Armenian Foreign Minister welcomed the approach of the Swiss chairmanship in promoting the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen's mediation mission on the peaceful settlement of 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 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven 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 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.
Translated by NH
Edited by SM