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MINSK GROUP JOINT STATEMENT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT - TEXT
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dec 6 2011
Text of " Joint Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the Minsk
Group Co-Chair Countries and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan" on 6 December 2011
On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius,
the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries
(Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Secretary
of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Minister for
European Affairs of France Jean Leonetti) and the Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandian reaffirmed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Recalling the November 2008 Moscow Declaration, as well as their
countries' statements at the OSCE Ministerial Council meetings in
Helsinki (2008) and Athens (2009) and at the OSCE Summit in Astana
(2010), the five Heads of Delegation agreed on the need to continue
the negotiating process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group and to
improve the climate for making progress towards a peaceful settlement.
As one of the steps in this direction, they agreed that further
efforts should be made to work on the details of the mechanism to
investigate ceasefire violations, which resulted from the joint
statement of Presidents Aliyev, Sargsian, and Medvedev at the March
2011 Sochi summit.
Noting the May 2011 statement of their Presidents at Deauville, which
urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize the Basic Principles for
the Peaceful Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, the Heads
of Delegation of the Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries expressed regret
that the parties have been unable to take this decisive step. The three
Heads of Delegation reiterated that there can be no military solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and that the United Nations Charter,
the Principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and the elements outlined in
the joint statements of their Presidents at L'Aquila in July 2009 and
Muskoka in June 2010 offer the way for all sides to move beyond the
unacceptable status quo to reach a peaceful settlement. In light of
the intensive negotiations conducted since the 2007 OSCE Ministerial
Council in Madrid, including at the highest level, the three Heads
of Delegation urged the parties to give further careful consideration
to the proposals that the Co-Chair countries have provided to them.
The Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia expressed their appreciation
for the efforts of the Co-Chair countries, including the personal
engagement of Presidents Medvedev, Obama, and Sarkozy, in assisting
their countries to reach a framework for a comprehensive peace
settlement. They informed the Heads of Delegation of the Co-Chair
countries that their Presidents are ready to meet again jointly in
the near future under the auspices of the Co-Chair countries to
continue their direct dialogue, building upon recent experience,
on how to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to their peoples.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dec 6 2011
Text of " Joint Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the Minsk
Group Co-Chair Countries and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan" on 6 December 2011
On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius,
the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries
(Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Secretary
of State of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Minister for
European Affairs of France Jean Leonetti) and the Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandian reaffirmed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Recalling the November 2008 Moscow Declaration, as well as their
countries' statements at the OSCE Ministerial Council meetings in
Helsinki (2008) and Athens (2009) and at the OSCE Summit in Astana
(2010), the five Heads of Delegation agreed on the need to continue
the negotiating process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group and to
improve the climate for making progress towards a peaceful settlement.
As one of the steps in this direction, they agreed that further
efforts should be made to work on the details of the mechanism to
investigate ceasefire violations, which resulted from the joint
statement of Presidents Aliyev, Sargsian, and Medvedev at the March
2011 Sochi summit.
Noting the May 2011 statement of their Presidents at Deauville, which
urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize the Basic Principles for
the Peaceful Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, the Heads
of Delegation of the Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries expressed regret
that the parties have been unable to take this decisive step. The three
Heads of Delegation reiterated that there can be no military solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and that the United Nations Charter,
the Principles of the Helsinki Final Act, and the elements outlined in
the joint statements of their Presidents at L'Aquila in July 2009 and
Muskoka in June 2010 offer the way for all sides to move beyond the
unacceptable status quo to reach a peaceful settlement. In light of
the intensive negotiations conducted since the 2007 OSCE Ministerial
Council in Madrid, including at the highest level, the three Heads
of Delegation urged the parties to give further careful consideration
to the proposals that the Co-Chair countries have provided to them.
The Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia expressed their appreciation
for the efforts of the Co-Chair countries, including the personal
engagement of Presidents Medvedev, Obama, and Sarkozy, in assisting
their countries to reach a framework for a comprehensive peace
settlement. They informed the Heads of Delegation of the Co-Chair
countries that their Presidents are ready to meet again jointly in
the near future under the auspices of the Co-Chair countries to
continue their direct dialogue, building upon recent experience,
on how to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to their peoples.