PARIS: French President Francois Hollande will mediate talks between the leaders of arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan in a bid to revive talks on a separatist conflict that has dragged on for over two decades.
At the heart of the dispute is the fate of Nagorny Karabakh, a region mostly inhabited by ethnic Armenians that broke away from Azerbaijan with the help of Armenia in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives between 1991 and 1994.
The conflict has festered ever since, with occasional skirmishes on the front, and international mediators have been unable to find a political solution.
In August, more than 20 troops died on the two sides in the deadliest clashes since the 1994 ceasefire.
The Paris meeting, confirmed by Hollande’s entourage, will include representatives of the Minsk group of mediators appointed by the OSCE in 1992, which France co-chairs with Russia and the United States.
Hollande will hold separate meetings with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan, who could then meet face-to-face if they wish.
AFP
