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Karabakh talks go positively - int'l mediators

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  • Karabakh talks go positively - int'l mediators

    ITAR-TASS, Russia
    February 12, 2011 Saturday 6:20 PM EST


    Karabakh talks go positively - int'l mediators

    BAKU February 12


    The Karabakh peace talks are proceeding positively, the co-chairmen of
    the OSCE Minsk Group said after their trips to Baku and Yerevan on
    February 8-11.

    The Russian, American and French co-chairmen believe that "there has
    been positive movement as a result of the work that has been done
    since the October 2010 Astrakhan Summit" held by the presidents of
    Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, initiated by Russia President Dmitry
    Medvedev.

    The international mediators urged the sides "to make further progress
    to allow the peace process to proceed to its next phase" and pledged
    "their support for the sides as they make the necessary decisions to
    reach a peaceful settlement".

    In their opinion, "the time has arrived for decisive action on behalf
    of peace to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

    In order to promote a climate conducive to peace, the co-chairmen
    "urged the sides to show restraint both on the ground and in their
    public statements".

    This is the first visit by the Minsk Group co-chairmen to the region
    in 2011. In Yerevan, they met with President Serzh Sargsyan, Foreign
    Minister Edward Nalbandyan, and Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan. In
    Baku, they met with President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Elmar
    Mammadyarov, and Defence Minister Safar Abiyev.

    The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began on February 22, 1988. On November
    29, 1989 direct rule in Nagorno-Karabakh was ended and Azerbaijan
    regained control of the region. However later a joint session of the
    Armenian parliament and the top legislative body of Nagorno-Karabakh
    proclaimed the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

    On December 10, 1991, Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum,
    boycotted by local Azeris, that approved the creation of an
    independent state.

    The struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh escalated after both Armenia and
    Azerbaijan obtained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the
    end of 1993, the conflict had caused thousands of casualties and
    created hundreds of thousands of refugees on both sides. An unofficial
    ceasefire was reached on May 12, 1994.

    As of August, 2008, the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group were
    attempting to negotiate a full settlement of the conflict. On August
    2, 2008, Aliyev and Sargsyan travelled to Moscow for talks with
    Medvedev. As a result, the three presidents signed an agreement that
    calls for talks on a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
    conflict.




    From: A. Papazian
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