The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is likely to be solved in 2010, OSCE Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh Goran Lennmarker said. “Taking into account the intensifying talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders, one can expect positive results in the nearest future,” Lennmarker told media in Athens within the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting. He said that the foreign ministers of two countries have recently held discussions in Athens, which will continue today. It encourages.

Answering the question about the impact of Kazakhstan’s leadership in the OSCE in 2010 on solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Lennmarker said that the presidency of Astana could positively affect the negotiations given the historical and cultural ties that link the post-Soviet countries.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.