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Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

No consensus on OSCE new observers in Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov says

The Russian foreign minister said that earlier agreements tackled an increased number of OSCE observers, as seven more people were added to the mission

© Mihail Dzhaparidze/TASS

HAMBURG /Germany/, December 9. /TASS/. There is no consensus on deployment of OSCE new observers in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council on Friday.

The Russian foreign minister said that earlier agreements tackled an increased number of OSCE observers, as seven more people were added to the mission.

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"These agreements should be enshrined in OSCE decisions but to reach it we need consensus," Lavrov said. "There is consensus with regard to increased physical numbers of the observers but there is no consensus where they are to be deployed."

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. It was the first zone of inter-ethnic tensions and violence to appear on the map of the former USSR.

Even almost a quarter of a century after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Karabakh remains a so-called 'frozen conflict' on the post-Soviet space, as the region is the subject of a dispute between Azerbaijan and the local Armenian population that draws on strong support from fellow-countrymen in neighboring Armenia.

The situation along the contact line of conflicting sides in Nagorno-Karabakh deteriorated dramatically overnight to April 2, 2016 when fierce clashes began. The parties to the conflict accused each other of violating the truce. On April 5, a ceasefire agreement was reached with Russia’s mediation.

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Sergey Lavrov Armenia Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh

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