OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs plan to travel to the region in March

ArmInfo.The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued a statement, the press office of the OSCE reports.  

The statement reads: "The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group  (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti  of France and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America) met  yesterday with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and  the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, separately and  then jointly. The Personal Representative of the OSCE  Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated  in the meetings.

The Co-Chairs discussed with the Ministers the current situation  along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The  Co-Chairs reiterated that there is no alternative to a peaceful  solution to the conflict and that war is not an option, and called  upon the sides to exercise restraint on the terrain as well as in  their public communications and to prepare their population for peace  and not for war. The Co-Chairs also urged the Sides to adhere  strictly to the 1994/95 ceasefire agreements that constitute the  foundation of the cessation of hostilities. The Co-Chairs recalled  the May 2011 joint statements of their Presidents in Deauville  emphasizing that the use of force would only bring more suffering and  devastation and would be condemned by the international community.  The Co-Chairs shared their views with the Sides on the steps which  should be taken toward implementing decisions from the 2016 Summits  in Vienna and St. Petersburg aimed at stabilizing the situation in  the conflict zone. 

The Co-Chairs stressed to the Ministers the need to demonstrate  greater flexibility and to resume comprehensive negotiations on  reaching a lasting settlement as soon as possible. 

The Co-Chairs recognized that the Armenian authorities' recent  decision to return the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman was a  helpful humanitarian gesture. The two Ministers reiterated their  commitment to strictly observe their international humanitarian  obligations including those of the Astrakhan Declaration of October  2010 issued by the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Russian  Federation. 

The Co-Chairs are aware that a so-called constitutional referendum is  scheduled to take place in Nagorno-Karabakh on February 20, 2017.  Although the Co-Chairs note that the de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh  authorities view the use of such a procedure as an effort to organize  the public life of their population, they underscore again that no  countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, recognize  Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent and sovereign state. Accordingly,  the Co- Chairs do not accept the results of the referendum on  February 20 as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The  Co-Chairs also stress that the results in no way prejudge the final  status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations  to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict. 

The Co-Chairs plan to travel to the region in March."