Friday, November 8 2019 15:58

ArmInfo. The United States attaches great importance to the work of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and expresses its commitment to continue efforts to  peacefully resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was November 7  during a speech at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, said US  Permanent Representative to the Organization James Gilmore.  At the  same time, the diplomat expressed gratitude to the Minsk mediators,  the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the  leader of the high-level planning group for their work.

In his speech Gilmore particularly noted:"The United States joins our  colleagues in welcoming Ambassador Popov, Ambassador Visconti, and  Mr. Schofer, the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, together with the  Chairmanship's Personal Representative, Ambassador Kasprzyk, to the  Permanent Council today. The United States attaches great importance  to your work, and like our colleagues expresses a commitment to an  ultimate resolution to this conflict, 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 as well, for  your astute reports and updates.

Since your appearance at the Permanent Council one year ago, a great  deal has changed. We are concerned about casualties on the Line of  Contact in recent months.  These casualties illustrate the continuing  human cost of the conflict. They raise the temperature on the ground  - and in capitals. And, they deepen distrust and animosity,  diminishing prospects for a lasting settlement.  At the same time, we  are encouraged by the constructive high-level contacts between the  leaders and foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Let's take  stock: since your last appearance in this hall, you brought together  President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan here in Vienna. Since  your last brief to the Permanent Council, you have also facilitated  five meetings of the foreign ministers in Milan, Paris, Moscow,  Washington, and at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  This level of contact should - and can - pay direct and positive  dividends. We encourage the sides to agree on concrete measures  discussed throughout this year on specific humanitarian and security  measures to prepare the populations for peace and reduce tensions. We  also welcome the simultaneous release of prisoners that took place on  June 28.  Yet, agreement on these issues is not enough. We call on  the sides to translate these agreements into concrete actions now.  The time has come for the sides to prepare their populations for  peace, and to refrain from mutual accusations and recriminations. The  United States supports confidence-building measures and increased  dialogue between Armenians and Azerbaijanis that can stabilize the  security situation and foster a more constructive atmosphere for  negotiations. Those participating in dialogue must be able to do so  freely and without fear of harassment or recrimination when they  return home.  Ambassador Kasprzyk, we welcome your assessment of the  situation on the ground, and we value 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 Slovak Chair in supporting the Co-Chairs'  mediation efforts and with the sides in stabilizing the situation on  the ground.  There can be no military solution to this conflict, and  the status quo is unacceptable. The United States is committed to  working with the sides to find a lasting and peaceful resolution  based on the principles, shared by participating States, of non-use  or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and  self-determination of peoples, as embraced in the Helsinki Final Act,  which remains the key instruments of principles and conduct for the  OSCE member States."