PACE Chairman wants to talk with Armenians and Azeris on Karabakh

YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. PACE Chairman Jean-Claude Mignon expressed his wish to discuss the situation around non-recognized Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations, RIA Novosti reported.

“I would like to take the advantage and discuss this issue with Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations”, he told a press conference. Yet, the head of PACE has not mentioned any specific timing.

Mignon reminded there is a PACE commission on Nagorno-Karabakh. He also said Madrid principles developed by Minsk Group mediators formed a basis for further efforts.

The Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal fr om Azerbaijan. On December 10, 1991, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh wh ere 99.89% voted for independence from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also over seven adjoining areas. About 25-30 thousands people were killed and about a million had to leave their homes during the military operations.

A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has been followed since then.

The ongoing Karabakh peace process started in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the USA, Russia and France.–0—