Nagorno-Karabakh

Speaking at a press conference in Baku on March 15, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov disclosed details of the most recent draft of the so-called Madrid Principles for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents both expressed their commitment to continue pursuing a peaceful settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict and reaffirmed the seriousness of their side in the negotiations, international mediators have said after meeting with the two leaders.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov says Baku insists on restoring control over Nagorno-Karabakh despite accepting the right to self-determination as a core principle for resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute over the territory, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

International mediators gave a mixed assessment of the Munich talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, saying there was progress on some issues but a failure to agree on others, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

The Turkey-Armenia peace deal has angered Azeris, who accuse Ankara of betraying them by not tying its signature to a resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan should endorse a document on basic principles to end stalemate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the end of the year, or they will face an eventual return to full-scale hostilities. “Nagorno-Karabakh: Getting to a Breakthrough“, the International Crisis Group’s latest policy briefing, examines the two-decades-old conflict and concludes there is reason for optimism that the political stalemate can be broken in today’s more supportive regional environment.

International mediators say they will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan soon to prepare for the next meeting of the two countries' presidents, which they hope will pave the way for a framework peace accord on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.

The information war surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process appears to be intensifying. Electronic sniping between Armenians and Azerbaijanis is spreading into new areas, including social networks, wikis and blogs. Some commentators believe that Azerbaijan is gaining the upper hand.

Politicians in Nagorny-Karabakh have given a cautious welcome to the thaw in Armenian-Turkish relations, especially since the status of their own self-declared state was not included in the published “protocols”.

It has been already announced that the OSCE Minsk Group American co-chair Matthew Bryza will be replaced by Tina Kaidanow. It is believed that Bryza is going to take the office of the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan. Analysts and experts say there are two interesting elements in T. Kaidanow’s appointment as the U.S. co-chair.