Following a meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Bureau in Copenhagen, Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and the OSCE PA Special Representative on the South Caucasus, Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria), reiterated the Assembly’s hopes for a sustained ceasefire and willingness to contribute to efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“My colleagues and I are united in our hope for a complete cessation of hostilities. The human toll that continued fighting – not only in the past week, but over more than 20 years – is having on the people in the region is simply not tolerable. We owe it to those who regularly suffer from this violence to take a forward-looking approach on ways to find a peaceful settlement,” said President Kanerva.

The OSCE PA Bureau, consisting of the President, Vice-Presidents and Committee Officers of the Assembly, heard a report by Special Representative Vigenin on recent developments in the zone of conflict.

“The very significant increase in violence last week underlines the need for a rapid return to the political process. While immediate efforts are understandably concentrated on halting hostilities, I intend to continue working at the parliamentary level to encourage increased political will from the sides in the region to engage in serious efforts to negotiate a comprehensive settlement within the framework of the Minsk Group. The rapid agreement on confidence building-measures to reduce the risk for further hostilities can be an important first step in this direction, and we stand ready to contribute to all these efforts,” said Special Representative Vigenin.

The President and Special Representative expressed their support for the continued work of the Minsk Group and its Co-Chairs to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Vigenin reported to the OSCE PA Bureau that he would maintain contact with parliamentary colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan, and intends to continue discussions during the Assembly’s 25^th Annual Session, to be held in Tbilisi from 1-5 July.

The OSCE PA Bureau meets each year in April, to discuss ongoing work and to plan for the Assembly’s Annual Session.