"The occupation of 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan by neighboring Armenia and the existence of 1 million refugees and IDPs in our country remains one of the major impediments for the stability, development and prosperity of the ECO region. In this regard, the organization and its member states should extend their resolute and consistent support

(Director of the School for a Culture of Peace, UAB)

It is a demonstrable fact that many conflicts in which peace processes are present experience in a standstill their negotiations. The years pass and the nature of the conflict remains the same without the mechanisms for dialogue producing any progress. This standstill is more obvious in conflicts where a ceasefire has been achieved and, therefore, there is no significant violence or confrontation, which raises the question as to whether it is precisely the absence of violence with its consequent

* Oil-producing Azerbaijan frequently threatens force

* Rebel enclave broke away from Azerbaijan in 1990s

By Alexei Anishchuk

MOSCOW, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Armenia threatened on Friday to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as independent if oil-producing Azerbaijan resorts to force to resolve their dispute over the rebel enclave.

The past two years have seen the worst skirmishes along the boundaries around Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke away with the support of Armenia as the Soviet Union collapsed, since a 1994

By RFE/RL

The OSCE's first summit in more than a decade has concluded without agreement on an action plan meant to strengthen the security group's role in the future and further its mission of preventing and resolving conflicts in Europe and former Soviet republics.

World leaders at the summit did adopt a declaration of principles, which "reconfirmed the group's comprehensive approach to security based on trust and transparency" and says in part:

"Increased efforts should be made

As Kyrgyzstan plunges into crisis and the threat of a second Afghanistan in Central Asia looms large, the situation in the "Big Caucasus" seems less pressing and thus overshadowed. The worst scenarios predicted by analysts and politicians for the period of the 2008 August war have not been realized. The Russian attempt to "replace the regime" of Mikhail Saakashvili or apply the Georgian pattern in Ukraine, expected by many in the West, has not taken place. Neither have

Geneva (ICRC) - The bodies of two Azerbaijani soldiers killed recently and of a person from the village of Madaghis in Nagorny Karabakh were today handed over under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The operation took place in Bash Gervend, Agdam region, situated on the Line of Contact.

"Even though the transfer of bodies is a very sad event, the families of the dead will finally be able to bury and mourn their loved ones properly," said Hélène Plennevaux, the

On the same day, the ICRC also repatriated an Azerbaijani citizen who had been interned in Armenia.

The operation took place on the road between the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh and the Armenian town of Ijevan.

"We keep in close contact with families on all sides whose relatives are detained, missing or have died, and we

(Bangkok, 1 November 2010) - The destruction of millions of stockpiled cluster submunitions years before deadlines mandated under the Convention on Cluster Munitions-a legally-binding treaty banning the weapon which entered into force on 1 August 2010-shows the treaty's effectiveness in saving civilian lives, according to Cluster Munition Monitor 2010, a report released today.

Seven states that have joined the convention

An unexpected joint statement issued by the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia could reinvigorate the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

The statement came after talks held by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev on October 27 in the Russian city of Astrakhan, near the Caspian Sea. "The settlement of the [Karabakh] conflict through political and diplomatic means requires further efforts