Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Issue a Statement

Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Stefan Visconti (France), and Andrew Schofer (USA) issued the following statement today:

“The Co-Chairs express deep concern about the ongoing violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. They call on the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, to take immediate steps to fully implement the commitments made in Moscow on October 10, in order to prevent catastrophic consequences in the region.

The Co-Chairs reiterate that civilian casualties are unacceptable under any circumstances. They urge the parties to urgently establish a humanitarian ceasefire that ensures the return of the deceased, prisoners of war, and detained persons, and to agree on a mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire regime.

Following meetings with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, the Co-Chairs continue to work with the parties on substantive issues regarding a political resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the aim of reaching a negotiated solution.”