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BAKU SAYS MG CO-CHAIRS TO TAKE PROPOSALS TO YEREVAN
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 4 2014
4 February 2014, 16:09 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said when analyzing the processes at the
contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, one can see that
the situation has remained tense.
"Azerbaijan supports the continuation of the current negotiations on
specific issues," Elmar Mammadyarov said in a briefing on February 4.
He noted that these issues have been discussed with the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs who will leave for Yerevan with a number of proposals.
"If we see the Armenian side showing a constructive reaction, the
negotiations may continue," he added.
Commenting on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs visit to the region
Mammadyarov noted that concrete issues were discussed during the
recent meetings, including the Paris meeting.
The co-chairs started their visit to the region on February 3 from
Azerbaijan.
"Later, the co-chairs will leave for Yerevan. If any results are
achieved on these issues in Yerevan, a new meeting can be held at
the level of ministers or presidents," Mammadyarov said.
He also said Azerbaijan intends to continue negotiations to achieve
progress in resolving the Karabakh conflict.
"The sooner the work on a comprehensive peace agreement is started,
the more favorable it will be for the region," he said.
The situation on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani
troops has remained tense since mid-January. Armenian armed forces
have recently violated the ceasefire over 2,000 times, killing two
Azerbaijani army officers and wounding one civilian.
Most ceasefire violations are being observed in the Fizuli, Agdam,
Terter, Goranboy, Khojavand, and Jabrail regions, Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry spokesman Vagif Dargahli said earlier.
International organizations and some foreign countries have voiced
concern over the armistice breaches on the frontline.
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk said in his interview with Trend Agency that the casualties
and ceasefire violations on the line of contact and the border are
cause for concern.
Kasprzyk said every casualty is a tragedy that can be avoided if the
ceasefire is fully respected.
"I and my team have experienced this recent growth in tensions
first-hand during our recent monitoring exercises, when shots were
fired in spite of the fact that local commanders on both sides, using
OSCE radio equipment, provided security guarantees to our teams with
a clear undertaking that troops under their command would honor the
ceasefire for the duration of the monitoring exercise," Kasprzyk said.
Earlier, Armenian armed forces fired on the Azerbaijani divisions and
the OSCE monitoring group members, who arrived in the contact line
on January 23 to monitor the ceasefire violations under the mandate
of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative.
Kasprzyk said the responsibility of respecting the ceasefire rests
with the sides.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal
have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The
negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.
From: A. Papazian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Feb 4 2014
4 February 2014, 16:09 (GMT+04:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said when analyzing the processes at the
contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, one can see that
the situation has remained tense.
"Azerbaijan supports the continuation of the current negotiations on
specific issues," Elmar Mammadyarov said in a briefing on February 4.
He noted that these issues have been discussed with the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs who will leave for Yerevan with a number of proposals.
"If we see the Armenian side showing a constructive reaction, the
negotiations may continue," he added.
Commenting on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs visit to the region
Mammadyarov noted that concrete issues were discussed during the
recent meetings, including the Paris meeting.
The co-chairs started their visit to the region on February 3 from
Azerbaijan.
"Later, the co-chairs will leave for Yerevan. If any results are
achieved on these issues in Yerevan, a new meeting can be held at
the level of ministers or presidents," Mammadyarov said.
He also said Azerbaijan intends to continue negotiations to achieve
progress in resolving the Karabakh conflict.
"The sooner the work on a comprehensive peace agreement is started,
the more favorable it will be for the region," he said.
The situation on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani
troops has remained tense since mid-January. Armenian armed forces
have recently violated the ceasefire over 2,000 times, killing two
Azerbaijani army officers and wounding one civilian.
Most ceasefire violations are being observed in the Fizuli, Agdam,
Terter, Goranboy, Khojavand, and Jabrail regions, Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry spokesman Vagif Dargahli said earlier.
International organizations and some foreign countries have voiced
concern over the armistice breaches on the frontline.
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk said in his interview with Trend Agency that the casualties
and ceasefire violations on the line of contact and the border are
cause for concern.
Kasprzyk said every casualty is a tragedy that can be avoided if the
ceasefire is fully respected.
"I and my team have experienced this recent growth in tensions
first-hand during our recent monitoring exercises, when shots were
fired in spite of the fact that local commanders on both sides, using
OSCE radio equipment, provided security guarantees to our teams with
a clear undertaking that troops under their command would honor the
ceasefire for the duration of the monitoring exercise," Kasprzyk said.
Earlier, Armenian armed forces fired on the Azerbaijani divisions and
the OSCE monitoring group members, who arrived in the contact line
on January 23 to monitor the ceasefire violations under the mandate
of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative.
Kasprzyk said the responsibility of respecting the ceasefire rests
with the sides.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early
1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed
forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal
have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE
Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed
by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The
negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.
From: A. Papazian