Negotiated settlement of Karabakh conflict possible if parties show willingness – James Warlick

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will hold a meeting with Azerbaijani leadership and foreign minister in Baku July 23, the US co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick tweeted.

A negotiated settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible if the parties are ready and willing, Warlick wrote.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

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