Statement from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs—Igor Popov (Russia), Stéphane Visconti (France), and Andrew Schofer (USA)—issued a statement today. The co-chairs expressed their concern regarding the continuation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

They called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to take immediate steps in accordance with the Moscow statement of October 10, fulfilling all commitments made between the parties to prevent catastrophic consequences in the region.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs reiterated that civilian casualties are unacceptable under any circumstances. They urged both sides to immediately implement a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes to allow for the retrieval of bodies and the return of prisoners, and they encouraged the parties to swiftly agree on a mechanism for the confirmation of the ceasefire.

Following negotiations with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Jeyhun Bayramov, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are working with the parties on the substantive issues of the political resolution process for Nagorno-Karabakh, aiming to achieve a negotiated settlement.