Azerbaijan is important player in region - OSCE Secretary General

Azerbaijan is an important player in the region and among OSCE countries and it is a very active participating country of the OSCE, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said at a briefing in Baku today.

"OSCE plays an important role for issues that are important for Azerbaijan, including the activity of the Minsk Group on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

"Of course, the activity of OSCE office in Azerbaijan has been very successful for many years, many good things have been achieved and we are now in the process of discussing the best way to continue our activity," he said.

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 namely 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/