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Xinhua General News Service, China
December 7, 2012 Friday 6:55 PM EST
U.S., Russia, France call for "decisive steps" to settle
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the United States,
Russia and France on Friday urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to take
"decisive steps" to settle their conflict over Nagorno- Karabakh.
The fresh appeal came from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and France's Minister Delegate
for European Affairs Bernard Cazeneuve, as they attended a ministerial
meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) in Dublin, Ireland to discuss proposals to strengthen the
group's capacity to promote comprehensive security in Eurasia.
"We again urge the parties to take decisive steps to reach a peaceful
settlement," the trio said in a joint statement, whose countries
co-chair the Minsk Group of the OSCE which has been mediating the
conflict.
They alleged that the parties have "too often" sought one-sided
advantage in the negotiation process, rather than seeking to find
agreement based upon mutual understanding.
"While recognizing the decrease in serious incidents along the Line of
Contact and the border in recent months, we remind the parties of the
need to continue to respect the ceasefire of 1994, and that the use of
military force will not resolve the conflict," they cautioned. "We
urge the parties to refrain from actions and statements that foster
feelings of enmity among their populations and have raised tensions in
recent months."
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been controlled by
Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war broke out in
1988. The two South Caucasus countries signed a cease-fire agreement
in 1994 but skirmishes break out time and again despite repeated
mediation by the OSCE Minsk Group.
"We call upon the parties to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency in
the peace process and to work with the co-chairs to give full and
careful consideration to ideas presented by the co- chairs during
their trip to the region in November," the three ministers said.
They welcomed the readiness of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and
Armenia to meet jointly with the co-chairs early in 2013 to continue
discussions over the conflict.
"Our countries continue to stand ready to do whatever we can to assist
the parties, but the responsibility for putting an end to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains with them," they added.
December 7, 2012 Friday 6:55 PM EST
U.S., Russia, France call for "decisive steps" to settle
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the United States,
Russia and France on Friday urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to take
"decisive steps" to settle their conflict over Nagorno- Karabakh.
The fresh appeal came from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and France's Minister Delegate
for European Affairs Bernard Cazeneuve, as they attended a ministerial
meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) in Dublin, Ireland to discuss proposals to strengthen the
group's capacity to promote comprehensive security in Eurasia.
"We again urge the parties to take decisive steps to reach a peaceful
settlement," the trio said in a joint statement, whose countries
co-chair the Minsk Group of the OSCE which has been mediating the
conflict.
They alleged that the parties have "too often" sought one-sided
advantage in the negotiation process, rather than seeking to find
agreement based upon mutual understanding.
"While recognizing the decrease in serious incidents along the Line of
Contact and the border in recent months, we remind the parties of the
need to continue to respect the ceasefire of 1994, and that the use of
military force will not resolve the conflict," they cautioned. "We
urge the parties to refrain from actions and statements that foster
feelings of enmity among their populations and have raised tensions in
recent months."
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been controlled by
Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war broke out in
1988. The two South Caucasus countries signed a cease-fire agreement
in 1994 but skirmishes break out time and again despite repeated
mediation by the OSCE Minsk Group.
"We call upon the parties to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency in
the peace process and to work with the co-chairs to give full and
careful consideration to ideas presented by the co- chairs during
their trip to the region in November," the three ministers said.
They welcomed the readiness of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and
Armenia to meet jointly with the co-chairs early in 2013 to continue
discussions over the conflict.
"Our countries continue to stand ready to do whatever we can to assist
the parties, but the responsibility for putting an end to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains with them," they added.