Baku again speaks about comprehensive peace treaty

Time has come to begin the process of drafting a peace agreement under the proposals relying on the updated Madrid principles that are supported by the OSCE MG co-chairs,  Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in an interview with AZERTAC news agency.

He said Azerbaijan praises Russia's efforts to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group.  Mammadyarov mentioned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's proposals to the conflicting parties regarding the peace settlement, saying the other co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group also support these proposals.

"It's no coincidence that Lavrov paid working visits to Baku and Yerevan in 2014 to discuss with the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents these proposals, which cover the agreements reached during the meetings of the presidents in Sochi, New Port, and Paris in 2014 and which is based on the updated Madrid principles," he said.  "The Madrid principles include six items and they are well known. The principles envisage phased liberation of the surrounding districts of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region and other issues," Mammadyarov added.   As for the December 19 meeting of the rmenian and Azerbaijani leaers in Bern, the minister called it positive. 

"At present, Azerbaijan is ready to hold constructive discussions on the proposal at the negotiating table.  This position was mentioned in Bern," he said. 

The Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group made a statement after Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting in Bern on Dec 19.  

"The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsian and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a summit today in Bern under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France).  

The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the summit.  The summit created  an opportunity for the Presidents to clarify their respective positions during their one-on-one meeting.  The Presidents discussed recent violence and expressed particular concern about casualties, including civilians, caused by the use of heavy weapons.  The Presidents supported the Co- Chairs' ongoing work on proposals regarding measures to reduce the risk of violence along the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including an investigation mechanism.  The Presidents confirmed their readiness to continue engagement on proposals regarding a settlement currently under negotiation.  

They also reaffirmed their commitment to the Minsk Group format.  The Co-Chairs remain ready to work with the sides on mediating a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the statement reads.