Yerevan: No clarity over Armenian-Azeri presidents meeting

August 9, 2017 - 16:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - No agreement has been reached for a possible summit of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian told reporters on Wednesday, August 9, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will be held in the second half of September in New York.

"Issues concerning the establishment of relevant conditions for pushing negotiations forward will be high on the agenda in New York," Nalbandian was quoted as saying.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20, 2016 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, 2016. To that end, they agreed to increase the number of international observers in the 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 Minsk Group co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

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.