He expressed hope for an early resumption of talks.

Warlick said that a fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be based on the principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity of states and self-determination of peoples.

According to him, the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined in the context of a comprehensive settlement, which will also include the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan.

Warlick noted that the co-chairs are in regular contacts with the conflict sides.

“At the moment there are no concrete plans in connection with the conflict’s settlement, but we are ready at any time to visit the region in order to specify further steps to resolve it. Our priority at this stage is a long-term adherence to the cease-fire,” the US co-chair added.

Earlier, the Armenian side has put forward some preconditions in order to resume talks.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.

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