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The OSCE Minsk Group is optimistic about the coming meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, U.S. Co-Chair Mathew Bryza told Trend News on Monday. “Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took very constructive steps at the last meeting in Prague and we expect the same reaction from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,” he said.
What he says is that, the co-chairs hope that the presidents of the two countries will continue constructive approach launched by Azerbaijani president in Prague and positive reaction that Armenia president had after that meeting.
The meeting on May 7, in Prague between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the 4 th high-level meeting. The final meeting has been held in Zurich on January 28. . The first meeting has been in St. Petersburg in early June of previous year, but the second one in Moscow in November of previous year.
The next meeting of presidents is scheduled to take place during the economic forum in St. Petersburg on June 4. “We expect the sides will reach certain progress during the meeting,” Bryza said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasian countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. In December, 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh got out of the control of Azerbaijan, excluding Shusha and Khodjali. In 1992-1993, Shusha and Khodjali and 7 regions adjoining Nagorno-Karabakh have been occupied.
The both sides signed a ceasefire regime agreement in 1994, under the control of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S.co-chairs – are still holding the peace negotiations which are ineffective.
