Yerevan: Territories around Nagornyy Karabakh are the most critical points, around which there is no accord, which the OSCE MG co-chairs also say about

Azerbaijan's stance does not allow to reach
progress at the talks on Karabakh settlement, Armenia's Deputy Foreign
Minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, told Arminfo correspondent when commenting on the
latest statement made by the co-chairs.

When touching on the word expressions "occupied
territories" and "the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan",
that were mentioned in the statement, Kocharyan said: "These are the most
critical points, around which there is no accord, which the OSCE MG co-chairs
also say about. The Madrid document in general 
was taken by the parties as a basis of the talks, but not the six points
fixed in it separately". 

Asked about expediency of abandoning the OSCE MG
format after such a statement, Kocharyan replied that Azerbaijan wants to
abandon as Baku has been trying to disorient the world community through
raising the Karabakh issue in various parliamentary instances, which in fact
are not aware of it.  "As for the
OSCE MG, Baku does not manage to disorient that, as the intermediaries are well
aware of the conflict. For this reason, Azerbaijan is trying to abandon this
format", - he explained. He also added that the OSCE MG format has two
missions - to assist the parties reach accord when making mutual compromises,
and not to allow breaking of fragile truce.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued the following
statement on the twentieth anniversary of the ceasefire agreement.

"On the twentieth anniversary of the 1994
ceasefire agreement, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs invite the people of the
region to reflect upon the legacy of the past two decades.

That agreement brought an end to outright war, halted
the tragic violence of previous years, and laid the groundwork for negotiations
that offered the sides a path to peace. Thanks to the resulting truce a new
generation of Armenians and Azerbaijanis grew up without experiencing the
horrors of war. The sides should do everything possible to protect future
generations from such experience.

The ceasefire agreement did not, however, resolve the
underlying conflict. It left the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
occupied and failed to provide a path forward on status for Nagorno-Karabakh. The
absence of a final settlement has resulted in the ongoing displacement of
hundreds of thousands of people, the perpetual threat of escalating violence
along the international border and the Line of Contact, and a misconception in
some quarters that the status quo can be sustained indefinitely.

The sides have shown little willingness to take
advantage of the opportunities presented by the co-chairs countries or make the
political decisions necessary for progress in this peace process.

We share a common position on this conflict, and
remain firmly committed to helping the sides reach a peaceful settlement as
soon as possible based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the
Helsinki Final Act, particularly those pertaining to the non-use of force,
territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples. A
settlement will have to include the elements outlined by the Presidents of the
co-chair countries in statements from 2009 to 2013, which include the return of
the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, interim status for
Nagorno-Karabakh guaranteeing security and self-governance, a corridor linking
Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, final status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be determined
in the future by a legally-binding expression of will, the right of all
internally-displaced persons and refugees to return, and international security
guarantees, including a peacekeeping operation. In November we saw a promising
renewal of dialogue at the highest levels. We call on the sides to enter into
constructive, good-faith negotiations resulting in a peace agreement based on
these elements in order to bring about a lasting settlement to the conflict.

Such a settlement will not be possible without a basis
of trust and understanding between the Armenian and Azerbaijani people. We call
on the sides to commit to active people to people programs and security
confidence building measures to reinforce the peace process.

Armenians and Azerbaijanis deserve to live in peace
and security, and we stand ready to help. The sides must take the necessary
steps towards peace. When they do, it will be with the full support of the OSCE
and the international community."