OSCE urges to further work on main principles of Karabakh conflict settlement

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was at the center of discussions during the visit to Baku and the region, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore said at the press-conference in Baku today.

"OSCE calls the sides to continue work on the main principles, to refrain from the use of force and to remove snipers from the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line," he said.

The time came to build a confidence and trust," he said. "I support the efforts of the Minsk Group."

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 US - 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.


/Trend/