Bako Sahakyan: defective negotiation format precludes progress

February 16, 2010 - 13:55 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
The meeting with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office was just a familiarization, President of the Republic of Artsakh (NKR) Bako Sahakyan said after talks with Mr. Kanat Saudabayev.

“Karabakh anchors hopes with the Kazakh chairman in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. However, there are also concerns, which were brought to the notion of Mr. Saudabayev,” NKR President told reporters in Yerevan.

He also emphasized that the talks should base on the international law.

“Progress is impossible without participation of Nagorno Karabakh in talks. The defective negotiation format precludes progress,” Mr. Sahakyan said, adding that the OSCE Chairman-in-Office should pay a visit to NKR as well.

As to normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations, he said this process has nothing to do with the Karabakh conflict settlement.

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.

OSCE

The world\'s biggest regional organization dealing with security issues, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) unites 56 countries situated in North America, Europe and Central Asia.\r\n\r\nIts member state are: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France Great Britain, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malta¸ Moldova, Monaco Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Roumania, San-Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican.\r\n\r\nPartner countries include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Marocco, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia.\r\n\r\nArmenia became an OSCE member state on January 30, 1992.