Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

The resolution process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is becoming more actual requiring more involvement of the world's influential organizations amid the recent Armenia-triggered skirmishes on the contact line and border of the two neighboring countries.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a mediator in the peace talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has expressed its serious concerns over the latest skirmishes on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops.

The OSCE leadership and Minsk Group co-chairs gathered on February 7 to discuss the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, according to the OSCE press service.

As a result of the high-level meeting, the OSCE released a statement to admit that the military situation along the contact line and Armenia-Azerbaijan border is deteriorating, posing a threat to regional stability and endangering the civilians' lives.

"Kasprzyk's monitoring reports in January said about 12 people were killed and 18 others wounded. This is the highest confirmed number of victims in the first month of a year since the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. Approximately 60 people lost their lives in 2014. Since then the disturbing trend has been continuing," the statement said.

The OSCE excluded any military solution to the conflict, calling on the sides to end incursions, stop targeting villages and civilians, halt retaliatory attacks and use of asymmetric force, and take additional steps to reduce tensions.

It said the partial observation of the security guarantees during the OSCE monitoring exercises was unacceptable.

The Minsk Group co-chairs, with the full support of the chairperson-in-office, are preparing to host an intensified negotiation process that can lead to a peaceful end to the conflict that has scarred the region for too long.

"We strongly urge the sides to strengthen the political will to begin this process immediately without any preconditions," the OSCE said.

Earlier, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs held meetings with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

They called for the resumption of presidential dialogue, as it was said in a statement issued after the meeting with Nalbandian in Munich on 5 February.

"We urged the minister to show more flexibility to kick off such negotiations," the co-chairs said.

Mediators also emphasized the importance of implementing the presidents' agreement on how exchanging the data on missing persons under the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"This data exchange can build a trust between the sides and facilitate the reconciliation process. Moreover, we call for the resumption of presidential dialogue at the earliest opportunity," they noted.

The co-chairs are expected to travel to the region in late February.

As the efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group have brought no tangible results so far, authorities and individual diplomats from different countries have started to emphasize the significance of solving the Karabakh knot.

Pascal Monnier, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan, said it was important not to consider the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh as a dispute to last forever.

He said the conflict in Ukraine should not sideline the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Monnier noted that the mediation in the conflict's settlement is neither a tribunal nor a court. It is the way of using all the techniques available by the diplomats and experts in confidence building, conflict resolution, and post-crisis management.

"The Minsk Group co-chairs cannot decide for the presidents in terms of what is acceptable for them and the people of the region," he said.

Monnier noted that France urges, by all means, both presidents and both countries to start a dialogue and avoid any measures threatening this dialogue.

Armenia is unlikely happy with the status-quo, said Monnier.

"As we know, Armenia is occupying a lot of territories, seven districts, and also controlling Nagorno-Karabakh. If we consider the economic situation of Armenia, we don’t have an impression that Armenia is getting a lot from the existing situation," he said.

Monnier believes that Armenia would get more if peace is restored.

"This year is a very important year in terms of the conflict's resolution. Of course, 2015 could appear more complicated for the EU because of the Ukraine crisis and ISIS threats. But it is not a reason to be inactive, we will continue to be active," he said.

Asked about the inclusion of Germany in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, Monnier said Germany as a government is supporting the Minsk Group co-chairs, as does the European Union.

Monnier believes that the co-chairing group is the appropriate body to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict.

"I don't think that there is debate in Europe on this subject," he said.

"The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of concern for all the nations because it violates the stability in the region and also prevents economic integration of the region, and it also puts a negative impact on everyone. I think that any concrete support of any member states to the conflict's settlement is welcomed," Monnier added.

The Azerbaijani leadership is not satisfied with the poor activity of the OSCE Minsk Group in the two-decade negotiation process, accusing the mediator structure of remaining indifferent particularly when it comes to illegal presence of the Armenian army in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Despite regular statements on unacceptability of the status quo in the conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs has failed to contribute to the solution of protracted problem. Furthermore, the organization lack any action plan, or means of impact to achieve solution to the conflict, which frequently gives birth to ideas about replacing it with more effective format.

Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, avoiding fulfilling four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied lands and in fact facing no pressure. This comes as other standards are applied in another part of Europe - in Ukraine - to prevent aggression.

Such approaches towards the conflict solution are sometimes interpreted as double standards, apparently used by certain forces to enforce their power in the region.

Based on international law Azerbaijan prioritizes the withdrawal of Armenian forces from its internationally recognized territory as a key condition to move forward. Despite its strong army and capabilities to liberate its occupied lands, Azerbaijani authorities opt for peaceful end to the two-decade long conflict.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war ending in occupation of Azerbaijan's 20 percent historical and internationally recognized lands.

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