' Karabakh issue requires continued and close attention of OSCE'

The situation around Nagorno Karabakh settlement requires continued and close attention of the OSCE, the acting chairman of OSCE, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said in his speech in Vienna at the event dedicated to the start of Ukraine's chairmanship in the organization.

"We must continue strengthening OSCE's capacity and effectiveness in all elements of the conflict cycle," he said in his speech, broadcasted live on OSCE website.

Kozhara said Ukraine will lend its support to the Minsk Group co-chairs in reorganizing negotiations over this conflict.

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 on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/