Zannier made the remarks during the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting Dec. 8, according to the OSCE website.
The aim of the organization is to provide opportunities for negotiations, he said, however each of the parties should take advantage of these opportunities.
The conflict parties need to make efforts to find a solution, noted the OSCE secretary general.
He also welcomed the OSCE’s mediating role in the conflict.
Zannier highlighted that he supports the position of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who addressed the meeting earlier, on the need to give new impetus to the work of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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