LOUGH ERNE, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia, the United States and France, the three countries mediating the conflict over the disputed South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, said Tuesday that they were greatly concerned by the lack of progress in bringing peace to the region.
The parties to the conflict – Armenia and Azerbaijan – are still pursuing unilateral aims rather than trying to find a solution based on due consideration for each other’s interests, the presidents of the three mediating countries said in a joint statement.
Presidents Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande warned that further delays in reaching a framework agreement leading to a comprehensive peace treaty was “unacceptable” and urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to redouble their efforts and focus on finding a solution.
They also called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to reaffirm their commitment to the Helsinki principles, in particular the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, equality and people’s right to self-determination.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for more than two decades, since the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian region, first erupted in 1988. The region then claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people are estimated to have died on both sides between 1988 and 1994, when a ceasefire was agreed. Nagorno-Karabakh has remained in Armenian control and tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.
