Friday, December 9 2016 12:40

ArmInfo.The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries have issued a joint statement.

The statement reads, "We, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk  Group Co-Chair countries - Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation  Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States John Kerry,  and Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault - remain fully  committed to a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict.

In light of the dramatic escalation in violence along the Line of  Contact in April, we express concern over continuing armed incidents,  including reports on the use of heavy weapons, and strongly condemn  the use of force or the threat of the use of force.  There is no  military solution to this conflict and no justification for the death  and injury of civilians.  We are also aware of allegations of  atrocities committed on the field of battle in April, which we  condemn in the strongest terms.  We appeal to the sides to confirm  their commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflict as the  only way to bring real reconciliation to the peoples of the region.   We also urge them to adhere strictly to the 1994/95 ceasefire  agreements that make up the foundation of the cessation of  hostilities in the conflict zone.    

We call on Baku and Yerevan to honor the agreements reflected in the  Joint Statements of the 16 May Summit in Vienna and the 20 June  Summit in St. Petersburg.  We welcome the sides' progress in  implementing the exchange of data on missing persons under the  auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.  We urge  the parties to remove all remaining obstacles to expanding the  mission of the Personal Representative of the OSCE  Chairperson-in-Office and to make progress on a proposal to establish  an OSCE investigative mechanism.  The proposals should be implemented  together with the immediate resumption of negotiations on a  settlement.  We would like to reiterate our call to the leaders of  Armenia and Azerbaijan to demonstrate flexibility and to return to  the negotiation table with the firm aim of moving toward a  sustainable peace on the basis of the current working proposals.   Unless progress can be made on negotiations, the prospects for  renewed violence will only increase, and the parties will bear full  responsibility.

We remind the sides that the settlement must be based on the core  principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely: non-use of force,  territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of  peoples, and additional elements as proposed by the Presidents of the  Co-Chair countries, including return of the territories surrounding  Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for  Nagorno- Karabakh providing guarantees for security and  self-governance; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh;  future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh  through a legally binding expression of will; the right of all  internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former  places of residence; and international security guarantees that would  include a peacekeeping operation.  Our countries will continue to  work closely with the sides, and we call upon them to make full use  of the assistance of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs as mediators. 

The Co-Chair countries are prepared to host a meeting of the  Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan when they are ready. We firmly  believe that the Presidents need to engage in negotiations in good  faith at the earliest opportunity.  Continuous and direct dialogue  between the Presidents, conducted under the auspices of the  Co-Chairs, remains an essential element in building confidence and  moving the peace process forward".