(Updated at 00:30)
A meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, mediated by the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement has come to an end in Vienna. The OSCE Minsk Group countries were represented by the heads of their Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, John Kerry and Jean-Marc Eyraud.
According to a source in one of the delegations, the sides intended to work out a final statement at the meeting in order to "focus determination on the political settlement of the conflict in the region,'' Tass reports.
Following the results of the meeting Sergey Lavrov made a statement that the parties agreed on the necessity for a cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "We have agreed and it will be announced in the final joint statement. We will try to achieve a truce in the form when the agreement was reached in 1994 and 1995,’’ RIA Novosti cites Russian minister as saying.
Also, according to him, the conflict will be settled. One of the steps on its way will be the next meeting between the presidents. "In June the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia agree on the time and venue of their next meeting, taking into account what has already been done in the framework of the political process. The work on the harmonization of the parameters of a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will be continued," Lavrov said.
Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry also discussed the situation in Syria, Ukraine and in Nagorno-Karabakh before the talks of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Before the meeting Serzh Sargsyan met with the head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini, Press Secretary of Armenian President Vladimir Akopian posted in his microblog on Twitter. On the threshold of the meeting Ilham Aliyev also held a meeting with the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs.
The meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents is taking place together with the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, Sergei Lavrov, John Kerry and Jean-Marc Eyraud as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Presidents and ministers decided not to make any statements before the beginning of the meeting.
It was unclear up to the last moment whether the landmark meeting could take place, as the representatives of the Armenian delegation informed that "it would become known only after the meeting of Serzh Sargsyan with US Secretary of State John Kerry."
The heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia hold a meeting for the first time after the escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in early April. The most violent clashes occurred on April 2-5th. After Russia's participation the parties agreed to cease fire. Nevertheless, Baku and Yerevan continue to accuse each other of shelling on the contact line.
At the same time it became known about the topic of conversation between the Armenian president and the US secretary of State.
"During the meeting, Sargsyan said that it is necessary to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire agreement of 1994 and the agreement on strengthening the ceasefire of 1995, as well as introduce mechanisms to investigate incidents in order to resume negotiations,'' the press service of Armenian President informed.
"The parties reaffirmed that the Karabakh conflict has no military solution special mechanisms are necessary for mutually an acceptable solution on the basis of fundamental principles," the press service of Armenia noted.
Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
