Thursday, December 4 2014

"We, 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 - remain strongly
committed to a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  There is no military solution, and we call
on the sides to refrain from violence and work actively towards a lasting
settlement.

 

We regret the upsurge in violence in the past year
along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.  Military actions in July and August resulted
in a significant loss of life, raised tensions and deepened mistrust between
the sides. The sides must take additional actions to reinforce the ceasefire of
1994 and create a more favorable atmosphere for advancing peace talks.

 

The November 12 downing of a military helicopter along
the Line of Contact was an avoidable tragedy that underscored the importance of
measures by the sides to reduce tensions, restore trust, and avoid future
incidents. We appeal to all sides to demonstrate restraint to prevent further
escalation.  We also call on them to
settle humanitarian issues in the spirit of the Astrakhan statement of October
2010 of the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.

 

The three meetings between the Presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan in 2014 at Sochi, Newport, and Paris have revitalized the most
important channel of communication between the sides.  We welcome the agreement by the Presidents in Paris to intensify
dialogue in the coming year.  It is time
for the sides to overcome disagreements, restore confidence, and honour their
commitment to enter into a negotiating process that can result in a settlement.
They are expected to acknowledge that the basis for a comprehensive settlement
are the elements and principles outlined in the joint statements by the Presidents
of Russia, the United States, and France, especially those that were discussed
during the  last  summit in Paris.  Negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement under the
auspices of the Co-Chair countries should begin as soon as possible.

 

We remain ready to work closely with the sides to
reach a lasting settlement and open a new chapter of peace, but stress that the
primary responsibility to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict rests with the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan", - the statement says.