The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) is encouraged by the outcome of Vienna meeting of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the OSCE MG U.S. Co-Chair James Warlick told Trend May 17.
A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
"We are very encouraged by the outcome of yesterday's meetings," Warlick said. "Both presidents committed themselves to respect the ceasefire, put in place important confidence- building measures, and begin negotiations next month that can lead to a comprehensive settlement."
The presidents demonstrated the political will to move beyond the status quo in the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict and take steps that can benefit all the people in the region, he said. The US and the OSCE MG co-chairs stand ready to assist in whatever way they can, said Warlick.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke out on February 28 1988 in the Azerbaijani Sumgait with massacre of Armenians as a peculiar response of Azerbaijanis to the peaceful demand of the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous Region, part of the Azerbaijani SSR, to unite with the Armenian SSR. This resulted in other pogroms of Armenians in Baku, Kirovabad and other regions of Azerbaijan populated with Armenians. In 1991 Azerbaijan unleashed war against peaceful populations of Nagorno-Karabakh, expulsing ethnic Armenians from the territory of Azerbaijan. Dozens of thousands of peaceful residents on both parties were killed in the military actions, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless and have become refugees. In 1994 in Bishkek in mediation of the OSCE MG, the NKR, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Protocol on Ceasefire that is observed more or less so far. Since 1992 the OSCE Minsk Group represented by co- chairs from Russia, U.S. and France has been mediating in resolution of the conflict unleashed by Azerbaijan in 1988. The recent flared up of the conflict (April 2-5) when Azerbaijan unleashed an aggression against Nagorno Karabakh was stopped with mediation of the foreign powers. Diplomatic efforts have been launched towards observation of the ceasefire and possible re-launching of the peace talks.