New OSCE chair to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s solution
By Sara Rajabova
Chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will discuss the long-lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the Azerbaijani and Armenian officials.
Ivica Dacic, OSCE Chairman, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia will discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during the visit to the South Caucasus, a diplomatic source told Trend Agency on January 12.
Dacic replaced Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, who headed the OSCE in 2014.
Dacic’s visit to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia is scheduled for the coming months, according to the source.
“As the OSCE chairing country, Serbia intends to focus on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict settlement,” Dacic said during a visit to Azerbaijan in September 2014.
He noted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be a priority for Serbia’s presidency in the OSCE. “Of course, it is too early to talk about the new format. But we will objectively work with all sides," he said.
During his chairmanship in the OSCE in 2015, Dacic promised to thoroughly deal with crises and conflicts.
"Once again, I will visit this region and will make every effort for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," he said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @SaraRajabova
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