Friday, November 9 2018 12:23

ArmInfo.Response to the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the Conflict Dealt With by the OSCE  Minsk Conference, and to the Head of the OSCE High Level Planning  Group As delivered by Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Macris  to the Permanent Council, Vienna November 8, 2018 The United States  welcomes the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, together with the  Chairmanship's Personal Representative, to the Permanent Council.

 As a Co-Chair country, the United States reiterates our strong  support for your work, and we appreciate your steadfast engagement  with the sides to advance a peaceful settlement of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We thank all of you, including the head of  the High Level Planning Group, for your astute reports and updates.   The United States is encouraged by recent constructive contacts by  the sides at the levels of heads of state and foreign ministers.  These contacts appear to be paying direct and positive dividends. All  three Co-Chairs and the CiO's Personal Representative reported today  a decrease in violence along the Line of Contact and in  conflict-affected areas over the past two months. The sides should  seize the opportunity this opening presents and find ways to move the  settlement process forward.  The Co-Chairs suggested a number of  actions the sides can take to further reduce tensions and improve  communication. The United States supports these recommendations.  Likewise, the United States supports measures to reduce tensions  along the Line of Contact such as expanding the monitoring capacity  of the CiO's Personal Representative and establishing an  investigative mechanism.  The United States believes that a meeting  between the Foreign Ministers can bring renewed impetus to the  discussions on the implementation of these measures. Mr. Chair, this  conflict has gone on far too long. It is time for the sides to  refrain from mutual accusations and recriminations and prepare their  populations for peace. The United States supports confidence-building  measures and increased dialogue between Armenians and Azerbaijanis  that can stabilize the security situation and create a more  constructive atmosphere for negotiations.  Those participating in  dialogue must be able to do so freely, without fear of harassment or  recrimination when they return home. We attach great importance to  resolving conflicts in the OSCE area, including the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict with the strong engagement of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.  That is why the United States has sent high-level envoys such as  National Security Advisor John Bolton and Deputy Assistant Secretary  of State George Kent to Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent weeks.  Ambassador Kasprzyk, we welcome your assessment of the situation on  the ground, and the efforts of your team to promote transparency and  confidence among the sides.  This work is indispensable and has our   full support. We appreciate your close collaboration with the  Italian Chair in supporting the Co-Chairs' mediation efforts and  stabilizing the situation on the ground. The United States shares the  view that there can be no military solution to this conflict. The  status quo is unacceptable. The United States is committed to working  with the sides to find a lasting and peaceful resolution, one based  on the principles shared by participating States of non-use of force,  territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of  peoples, as embraced in the Helsinki Final Act.