HELICOPTER DOWNING WAS AVOIDABLE, LAVROV AND KERRY STATE
Thursday 4 December 2014 15:38
Photo: majalla.com, cgdev.org, huffpost.com
Sergey Lavrov,John Kerry and Harlem Desir
Yerevan/Mediamax/. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries have once
again ruled out the military settlement of NK conflict and called on
Yerevan and Baku to work actively towards a lasting settlement.
At the meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Basel today,
the Heads of Delegations 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 State Secretary for
European Affairs of France Harlem Desir issued a joint statement.
“We regret the upsurge in violence in the past year along the line
of contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The sides must take
additional actions to reinforce the ceasefire of 1994 and create a more
favorable atmosphere for advancing peace talks”, the statement reads.
Touching upon the November 12 downing of a military helicopter along
the line of contact, the Heads of Delegations of Co-Chair countries
stated “it was an avoidable tragedy”. They believe it underscored the
importance of measures by the sides to reduce tensions, restore trust,
and avoid future incidents.
“We appeal to all sides to demonstrate restraint to prevent further
escalation. We also call on them to settle humanitarian issues in the
spirit of the Astrakhan statement of October 2010 of the Presidents
of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation”, noted the Heads
of Delegations of intermediary countries.
They stressed that the three meetings between the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2014 have revitalized the most important
channel of communication between the sides.
“We welcome the agreement by the Presidents in Paris to intensify
dialogue in the coming year. It is time for the sides to overcome
disagreements, restore confidence, and honor their commitment to enter
into a negotiating process that can result in a settlement. They are
expected to acknowledge that the basis for a comprehensive settlement
are the elements and principles outlined in the joint statements by
the Presidents of Russia, the United States, and France, especially
those that were discussed during the last summit in Paris”, the
statement reads.
The Heads of Delegations noted that negotiations on a comprehensive
peace agreement under the auspices of the Co-Chair countries should
begin as soon as possible.
“We remain ready to work closely with the sides to reach a lasting
settlement and open a new chapter of peace, but stress that the
primary responsibility to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict rests
with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan”, the statement reads.