OSCE MG: No meeting of Azerbaijani, Armenian presidents in Washington

A meeting between the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will not be held in Washington, the OSCE Minsk Group US co-chairman James Warlick told Trend March 29.

“There are no plans to bring the presidents together in Washington at this time,” said Warlick. “However, we are ready to facilitate an intensified dialogue between the presidents this year.”

“On behalf of the other co-chairs, I plan to hold meetings with the sides to discuss developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,” he added.

The Nuclear Security Summit will be held in Washington March 31-April 1.

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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Elmira Tariverdiyeva is the head of Trend Agency’s Russian news service, follow her on Twitter: @EmmaTariver

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