'OSCE MG fails to achieve goals'

The OSCE Minsk Group's work on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be considered positive, deputy chairman and executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov told the media today.

"The Minsk Group has been working on this issue for over 20 years, and it is failing to achieve its goals," he said. "Co-chairmanship does not apply to three individuals, but rather to three different countries. Azerbaijani society expects the Minsk Group and its co-chairmen to adequately fulfill their mission on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict."

"There is only one way," he said. "It is the liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories, the restoration of just peace in the South Caucasus and most importantly, the assurance of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity."

"I think that the Minsk Group has not fulfilled this task yet," he said. "The co-chairmen did not take very serious actions towards the fulfillment of their commitments. Azerbaijani society can not appreciate the work of the Minsk Group and its co-chairmen as a whole. I do not think that replacing one of the representatives of the co-chairing countries will significantly change anything. However, we always welcome innovations in the workings of the OSCE 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 U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions regarding the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/