Azerbaijan backs away from Karabakh agreements: Armenia FM

September 21, 2016 - 16:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has been refusing to adhere to agreements on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement for several months now, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday, September 20.

Nalbandian discussed the Karabakh conflict with Igor Popov of Russia, James Warlick of the United States and Pierre Andrieu of France, as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

At the meeting, the sides stressed the need for the implementation of agreements reached at summits in Vienna and Saint Petersburg.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding. Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

Nalbandian stressed, in particular, that Azerbaijan has been refusing to adhere to the agreements for several months now, thus disrupting the creation of relevant conditions for continuing the negotiation process.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.