The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents have agreed to extend an OSCE monitoring group on Nagorno-Karabakh, officials announced on Wednesday.
“It is planned to continue extensive negotiations to resolve the conflict with the involvement of senior officials from each side" said James Warlick, American co-chair of the OSCE's Minsk group, which is working to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“Progress in the diplomatic direction is required to reduce tensions between the parties," said Warlick, who expects progress to be made in an upcoming meeting between the two presidents.
Meetings between President Ilham Aliyev and President Serzh Sargysan took place in Vienna on May 16 and in St Petersburg on June 20, following four days of fierce fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh at the beginning of April.
"The Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings have played a role on the relative stability and the reduction of tension in the line of contact, as well as in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The President's expected meeting must show the side's willingness over maintaining the ceasefire regime," Warlick told RIA Novosti, a Russian television network.
"We also expect the next meeting will contribute to achieving progress in the negotiation process, as well as will enable to continue the works aimed at easing the tension between the sides. We expect the sides will adhere to the President's readiness towards the maintenance of the ceasefire regime."
SOURCE: commonspace.eu and agencies
PHOTO: James Warlick
