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STATEMENT OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES
Lragir.am
08 Sept 06
Sixtieth Session of the UN General Assembly
Agenda Item 40, "The situation in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan"
The Russian Federation, France, and the United States of America, as
the Co-Chair countries of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group, remain committed to promoting a
peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In
this capacity, we take with great seriousness concerns raised by
either side to the conflict regarding threats to the security and
stability of the region, as well as any developments that pose new
obstacles to the negotiation process.
Accordingly, we have examined closely the information provided by the
Government of Azerbaijan regarding fires in the eastern part of the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. We
also note the report of the Personal Representative of the
Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, who, at the request of the Government
of Azerbaijan and direction of the Chairman-in-Office, has carried
out a monitoring mission to the affected areas. We note, in
particular, that fires of both natural and manmade origin are a
regular occurrence in the region in question. The question of whether
more extensive fires this year are a cause of ecological concern
requiring international attention to their suppression is one that
can only be answered through a technical examination of the
situation.
Therefore, the Co-Chairs stand ready, together with the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, to lend their
immediate assistance to the organization of an OSCE mission, with the
support and expertise of the United Nations Environmental Programme,
and to report to the UN General Assembly 011 the results of the
mission, as requested in the present resolution, as well as to the
OSCE.
We commend the spirit of goodwill demonstrated by both Armenia and
Azerbaijan in agreeing to cooperate to address the situation raised
through this resolution. We hope the agreement reached today reflects
a new readiness by both sides to engage in further measures to build
confidence that will advance the process of negotiations, and we will
redouble our efforts, through the OSCE's Minsk Group, to promote such
activities.
Mr. President, we note that over the past two years, the Co-Chairs of
the Minsk Group have worked intensively with the Foreign Ministers
and Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to identify core principles
of an agreement that would lead to a just and lasting settlement. Our
nations, reinforced by the voices of the Group of Eight leading
nations at their summit in St. Petersburg in July, have called on the
Presidents of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to accept now these core
principles as a basis for resolution of the conflict, and to prepare
their publics for peace, and not war. We reiterate that call today
and restate the readiness of our governments to lend full support to
the achievement and implementation of a peace agreement.
Lragir.am
08 Sept 06
Sixtieth Session of the UN General Assembly
Agenda Item 40, "The situation in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan"
The Russian Federation, France, and the United States of America, as
the Co-Chair countries of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group, remain committed to promoting a
peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In
this capacity, we take with great seriousness concerns raised by
either side to the conflict regarding threats to the security and
stability of the region, as well as any developments that pose new
obstacles to the negotiation process.
Accordingly, we have examined closely the information provided by the
Government of Azerbaijan regarding fires in the eastern part of the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. We
also note the report of the Personal Representative of the
Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, who, at the request of the Government
of Azerbaijan and direction of the Chairman-in-Office, has carried
out a monitoring mission to the affected areas. We note, in
particular, that fires of both natural and manmade origin are a
regular occurrence in the region in question. The question of whether
more extensive fires this year are a cause of ecological concern
requiring international attention to their suppression is one that
can only be answered through a technical examination of the
situation.
Therefore, the Co-Chairs stand ready, together with the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, to lend their
immediate assistance to the organization of an OSCE mission, with the
support and expertise of the United Nations Environmental Programme,
and to report to the UN General Assembly 011 the results of the
mission, as requested in the present resolution, as well as to the
OSCE.
We commend the spirit of goodwill demonstrated by both Armenia and
Azerbaijan in agreeing to cooperate to address the situation raised
through this resolution. We hope the agreement reached today reflects
a new readiness by both sides to engage in further measures to build
confidence that will advance the process of negotiations, and we will
redouble our efforts, through the OSCE's Minsk Group, to promote such
activities.
Mr. President, we note that over the past two years, the Co-Chairs of
the Minsk Group have worked intensively with the Foreign Ministers
and Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to identify core principles
of an agreement that would lead to a just and lasting settlement. Our
nations, reinforced by the voices of the Group of Eight leading
nations at their summit in St. Petersburg in July, have called on the
Presidents of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to accept now these core
principles as a basis for resolution of the conflict, and to prepare
their publics for peace, and not war. We reiterate that call today
and restate the readiness of our governments to lend full support to
the achievement and implementation of a peace agreement.