OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states release a statement on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement

Day.Az correspondent from Helsinki, foreign ministers of the OSCE member-states, foreign ministers of France Bernard Cuchner and Russia Sergey Lavrov, as well as US assistant secretary of state Daniel Fried released a joint statement on resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"We, the Foreign Ministers and Deputy Minister of OSCE Minsk Group's co-chair countries - France, Russia, and the United States -call on the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts to build on the positive momentum established during the meeting of the residents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow on November 2 of 2008", says the statement.

"The Moscow Declaration signed the same day opened a new and promising phase in our shared endevour to expand peace in the South Caucasus. In that declaration, the Presidents reaffirm their committment to advancing a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of the Basic Principles developed by the Minsk Group co-chair in collaboration with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of their proposals advanced last year in Madrid".

The co-chairs especially note that "they call on the parties to work with the co-chairs to finalize the basic principles in coming months, and then begin drafting a comprehensive peace settlement as outlined by those agreed principles"

"We call on the parties to work with the co-chairs to develop confidence-building measures, beginning with pulling back snipers from the line of contact to save lives of innocent civilians and soldiers", say the co-chairing countries.

"It is urgent for the parties to work with each other, the co-chairs, and the personal representative of the chairman in office to stabilize the ceasefire through this and other measures. We reiterate our firm view that there is no military solution to the conflict and call on the parties to recommit to a peaceful resolution", note the mediators.

/Day.Az/