Romania supports peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict

“Our position on NagornoKarabakh has always been clear and consistent, in accordance with our assessment of protracted conflicts. Being the cause of the tragic loss of lives and human suffering, these conflicts seriously hinder the stability and sustainable development of a region,” said Dobre, adding that Romania will continue to support a peaceful solution to the NagornoKarabakh conflict.

The MP stressed that the resolution of the conflict must adhere to the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“We also support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve this conflict and hope that they will yield positive results,” said Dobre.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijan’s territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from NagornoKarabakh and surrounding regions.

The Minsk Group spearheads the OSCE’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Although the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.