Azerbaijan, Baku, September 25 / Trend E. Tariverdieyva /
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation and the OSCE Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk held separate meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York on September 23, the OSCE Minsk Group said.
The Co-Chairs informed both Ministers about the preparations for their upcoming Field Assessment Mission. The Co-Chairs will conduct the Mission in the territories around Nagorno-Karabakh from October 4-14, 2010.
Following on their preliminary contacts with UN officials in Geneva and New York, the Co-Chairs formally invited UNDP and UNHCR experts to participate in the Mission.
Moreover, the Co-Chairs confirmed to the Ministers their working plan for the following months, including preparations for the OSCE Summit in Astana.
The OSCE Assessment Mission examines the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at Azerbaijan's initiative. During the last visit the Co-Chairs visited these areas and familiarized with the situation. The mediators are expected to prepare a report on the situation in the occupied lands.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Armenia has failed to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions stipulating the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.