The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between two South Caucasian republics, Azerbaijan and Armenia, is already over 30 years old. Negotiations toward a settlement face a stalemate that appears difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. The conflict, which has roots dating back to the early 20th century, was restarted violently in the late 1980s at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union when Armenia, seizing the opportunity created by the regional geopolitical turbulence, established its control over 20 percent of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Since the 1994 ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia, the sides have been trying to reach a peace agreement through negotiations brokered by the OSCE's Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, US, and France.
The existing deadlock in the negotiations begs the question of whether China, an increasingly more assertive global actor that has never attempted to undertake a mediating role in the conflict, can push Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolution.
"China's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is clear and consistent," Report quotes Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying at a briefing.
"We hope that the parties will resolve the conflict through dialogue and maintain peace and stability in the region. China will continue to promote stability and development in the region."