The Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Lamberto Zannier expressed grave concern over the lack of progress in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"There it an increasing concern because it raises the shame of the inability to do something" - Zannier told RIA Novosti on Monday on the sidelines of the first OSCE Conference on Security Days.

According to Zannier, the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the settlement of this protracted conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the past 20 years, has taken a ‘very serious political effort’

He also praised the efforts of Dmitry Medvedev, who organized a meeting between the heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"The sides were very close to agreeing on general principles to build the solution”, Zannier said, “but there is no progress."

Moreover, the OSCE observes, "the increasing trend of incidents" on both the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"There are reasons for concern. We have tried to propose mechanisms: confidence-building measures, strengthened ceasefire mechanism to investigate incidents. For one reason or another, one of the parties is blocking these initiatives.

Everything is very politicized, if one party agrees to something, the other believes that it is a bad initiative. One cannot help wonder whether the problem in about mechanism, or simply the parties are not ready to measures that will require some compromise”, Zannier said.

In connection with such complexities, the OSCE is currently trying to work with parliaments and civil society organizations of both countries in an attempt to create conditions under which the government will be interested in resolving the conflict.

"Maybe, the work with public opinion and with the community is an important activity”, Zannier said.

News.Az