US and France welcome the recent constructive contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission to the OSCE, Gregory Macris and French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Stephane Visconti have issued statements related to the Nagorno Karabakh peace process.
“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 Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative (France, Russia and United States) reported today a decrease in violence along the Line of Contact and in conflict-affected areas over the past two months,” said Macris.
According to Macris, the sides should seize the opportunity and find ways to move the settlement process forward, “ to further reduce tensions and improve communication,” he outlined.
Macris added that the U.S supports measures along the Line of Contact such as expanding the monitoring capacity of the Chairperson-in-Office Representatives 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,” stated Macris.
French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Stephane Visconti, applauded those efforts, saying that there is an, “Open and constructive climate we observed during the first meetings between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries in Brussels and then New York.”
“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,” continued Macris.
The US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group recommend an increase in confidence-building measures and dialogue between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, which he believes can stabilize the security situation and create a more constructive atmosphere for negotiations.
They both share the view that there can be no military solution to this conflict. And that the status quo is unacceptable.
“The U.S 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,” said Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Macris.
French Co-Chair Visconti added that the Minsk Group is committed to all measures that could improve the lives of the populations concerned.
Read More:
U.S. Mission to the OSCE: Response to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict-Related Reports
French Co-Chair of the Minsk Group: Response to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict-Related Reports
****
The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabakh region.The Minsk Group is headed by a co-chairmanship consisting of France, Russia and the United States. Furthermore, the Minsk Group also includes the following participating states: Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Turkey as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.
