“Secretary-General has taken note of the summit held between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 19 December 2015 in Bern, Switzerland, organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group,” Spokesperson for the Secretary General Fahran Haq told a briefing on December 22.

“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has commended the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to organize this meeting and their ongoing work to de-escalate the current tensions along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijani border,” the Spokesman said.

“He trusts that the summit offered the two sides the opportunity to discuss the practical steps to reduce the ceasefire violations and the civilian casualties and to agree on ways to move the peace process forward,” he added.

The Secretary-General also noted the expressed support of both Presidents to the Co-Chairs’ efforts with regard to measures aimed at reducing the risk of violence.

The Secretary-General called on the sides to work closely with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to de-escalate the current tensions and to refrain from any actions that may result in further violence.