G8 summit: Statement on Karabakh to be issued

The Presidents of U.S., Russia and France, Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy are expected to issue a joint statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict during the Deauville-hosted G8 summit today.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process continues within the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by U.S., France and Russia.

A package of Russian-American statements is also expected to be adopted, addressing cooperation in visa sector, fight against terrorism, RIA Novosti reported.

Reference. The Nagorno-Karabakh (armed) conflict broke out back in 1991, when, subsequent to the demand for self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, Azerbaijani authorities attempted to resolve the issue through ethnic cleansings, carried out by Soviet security forces (KGB special units) under the pretext of the implementation of the passport regime and by launching of large-scale military operations, which left thousands dead and caused considerable material damage. A cease-fire agreement was established in 1994. Negotiations on the settlement of the conflict are being conducted under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen (Russia, USA, France) and on the basis of their Madrid proposals, presented in November, 2007.

Azerbaijan has not yet implemented the 4 resolutions of the UN Security Council adopted in 1993, by continuing to provoke arms race in the region and openly violating the basic principles of the international law non-use of force or threat of force.