Eduard Sharmazanov: Statement of heads of Delegation of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is a slap on Azerbaijan

The joint statement of the heads of delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is a slap on Azerbaijan, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters. 

"The fact that the statement says 'the Minsk Group remains the only accepted format by the sides and has the full confidence of all OSCE participating States' is a slap on Baku, which is constantly criticizing the mediators and trying to take the settlement process out of the OSCE Minsk Group format," said Sharmazanov. 

He added that the diplomats also expressed their discontent with the constant criticism against the OSCE Minsk Group, saying that any attempts to blame the Co-Chairs for setbacks in the negotiation process only mask the primary obstacle to peace. "This part of the statement is also addressed to Baku, which blames the co-chairs for the lack of progress in the peace process," Sharmazanov said, reiterating that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh problem. 

The Vice Speaker emphasized that the diplomats' call for implementation of the mechanisms to reduce the incidents on the line of contact is also addressed to Baku, because the Armenian side accepted that proposal.   

On December 3, 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, State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir issued a joint statement on the Karabakh problem. The statement is as follows: "With the significant escalation in violence along the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border this year, the status quo has become unsustainable. We especially condemn the use of mortars and other heavy weaponry, and regret deeply the civilian casualties these weapons have caused. There is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and there is no justification for the death and injury of innocent civilians. We appeal to the sides in the strongest possible terms to reduce tensions and protect lives.  The Co-Chairs have proposed risk-reduction measures that we encourage the sides to adopt, including an OSCE investigation mechanism". The statement also says that over the past year, "we have witnessed increasingly vocal attacks on the Co-Chairs and the Minsk Group format. We emphasize that the Minsk Group remains the only accepted format by the sides and has the full confidence of all OSCE participating States. Any attempts to blame the Co-Chairs for setbacks in the negotiation process only mask the primary obstacle to peace - the lack of political will in Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a negotiated settlement. The Co-Chairs will continue to brief international and regional organizations interested in supporting the Minsk Group process. We reaffirm our readiness to work closely with the sides on achieving our common objective of an enduring peace".