Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh should not have any impact on the peaceful settlement of the conflict, OSCE Chairman-in-Office says

MADRID, 20 July 2007 - Efforts to resolve the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh should not be hindered by the recent so-called "presidential elections" in the area, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, said today.

"The OSCE does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and therefore, these elections should not have any impact or any significance on the solution of the conflict," Minister Moratinos said.

The Chairman-in-Office reiterated his support to the efforts of Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group to facilitate a peaceful settlement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.