OSCE PA special rep meets with diplomats from Azerbaijan, Armenia

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Bulgairan MP Kristian Vigenin was in Vienna on July 3 for a series of meetings related to developments in the South Caucasus, including on negotiation efforts related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Vigenin met with senior diplomatic representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the OSCE Austrian Chairmanship, as well as with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group tasked with finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In all his meetings, Vigenin stressed the importance of continued efforts through agreed discussion formats, while noting the potential for parliamentary dialogue to contribute to political will.

“The conflicts in the region continue to have a high and intolerable human price. I intend to continue to discuss with my colleagues in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly how we can leverage our political influence to contribute to ongoing official efforts and provide momentum for comprehensive and sustainable peace,” said Vigenin.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s most important annual meeting, gathering some 300 parliamentarians from across the OSCE region, begins later this week in Minsk, Belarus.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.