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21 November 2016

By Seba Aghayeva – TrendAz

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has commented on the resign of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) US co-chair James Warlick. “We wish success to the US Co-Chair James Warlick in his future activity. In general, our expectations from the OSCE MG co-chairs are not individual, but rather institutional,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend Nov. 21.

Therefore, in general, co-chairs of the OSCE MG, in accordance with its mandate, should ensure the conflict’s settlement in line with the norms and principles of international law, the UN Security Council resolutions and the Helsinki Final Act, added Hajiyev.

Eventually, the status quo, which is considered unacceptable and unsustainable by heads of states chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, must be changed, said the spokesperson.

He noted that the change of the status quo requires the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Unfortunately, over the past 20 years, the Azerbaijani territories haven’t been liberated from occupation and sustainable peace and security in the region haven’t been ensured, he added.

James Warlick, who has been the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement since September 2013, tweeted on Nov. 21 that he will step down as Minsk Group co-chair on December 31.

“It has been an honor to serve in the US Department of State for more than 30 years,” tweeted Warlick.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.