The latest round of talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders on Nagorny Karabakh yielded no breakthroughs, but the presidents agreed to step up efforts to achieve a lasting peace.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met for talks mediated by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Russia’s southern resort city of Sochi on Monday. The trilateral meeting was held at Medvedev’s initiative.
“Considering the importance of transition to the elaboration of a peace agreement, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia stated their readiness to speed up the development of agreements on the main principles including all previous work,” the joint statements of the presidents said.
Sargsyan and Aliyev praised Russia’s mediation in the talks, as well as mediators from the OSCE Minsk Group that includes France and the United States.
The presidents said they hoped that “Russia, the United States and France will continue as mediators playing an active role in the [conflict] resolution including in the final establishment of peace and stability in the region.”
Medvedev stressed the need for compromise over Nagorny Karabakh, a breakaway region on Azerbaijani territory with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population.
The conflict between the two Caucasus states erupted in the late 1980s, when Nagorny Karabakh claimed independence from Azerbaijan. It is estimated to have left more than 30,000 people dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994. The region has since remained under Armenian control.
