Expert: Statement made by OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries in  Hamburg was rather harsh 

ArmInfo. The latest statement of the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries, made at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg, was rather harsh as compared to their previous statements, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan said at a press conference on December 12.   

"Though the statement was not addressed to any particular party, the  stresses put in the statement, including those related to the April  events, atrocities against the civilians, expansion of the OSCE CiO  Personal Representative's Office, and establishment of investigative  mechanisms point at Azerbaijan only," the expert said.      

As regards the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone, Minasyan  emphasized that Armenia gives high priority to the military and  military-technical component, which was seriously reinforced in 2016.  "The year is coming to its end and the negative forecasts made at the  beginning of the year have not come true fortunately. However, I  think today the threat of resumption of large-scale hostilities in  the conflict zone is at the same level as in April 2016," he said. At  the same time, the expert thinks one should expect no progress in the  Karabakh peace process in the foreseeable future.    

To note, the statement says that the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE  Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries remain fully committed to a negotiated  settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They also call on Baku  and Yerevan to honor the agreements reflected in the Joint Statements  of the 16 May Summit in Vienna and the 20 June Summit in St.  Petersburg. The statement of the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE  Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries reads, "We remind the sides that the  settlement must be based on the core principles of the Helsinki Final  Act, namely: non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the equal  rights and self-determination of peoples, and additional elements as  proposed by the Presidents of the Co-Chair countries, including  return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani  control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees  for security and self- governance; a corridor linking Armenia to  Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of  Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will; the  right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to  their former places of residence; and international security  guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation."