International peace brokers, Armenian president discuss further steps in negotiation over Karabakh
23.11.2012,
22:09
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received today the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Igor Popov (Russia), Jacques Faure (France) and Robert Bradtke (the United States), as well as Personal Representative of OSCE CiO Andrzej Kasprzyk, the president’s press office reports.
YEREVAN, November 23. /ARKA/. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received today the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Igor Popov (Russia), Jacques Faure (France) and Robert Bradtke (the United States), as well as Personal Representative of OSCE CiO Andrzej Kasprzyk, the president’s press office reports.
Sargsyan discussed with the international peace brokers the current stage in the negotiations over Karabakh and further steps.
The co-chairs presented the results of their meetings in Stepanakert to the Armenian president. They will also travel to Baku as part of their regional tour.
The mediators are touring the region ahead of the OSCE foreign ministerial council’s session to be held in Dublin on December 6 and 7.
Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.
On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.
Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions adjacent to it.
Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million people fled their homes.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations.
Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France. -0---
