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White House Documents and Publications, USA
June 18, 2012
Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASES
We, the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries --
France, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America --
are united in our resolute commitment to a peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The parties to the conflict should not
further delay making the important decisions necessary to reach a
lasting and peaceful settlement. We regret that the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia did not take the decisive steps that our
countries called for in the joint statement at Deauville on May 26,
2011. Nevertheless, the progress that has been achieved should provide
the momentum to complete work on the framework for a comprehensive
peace.
We call upon the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to fulfill the
commitment in their January 23, 2012 joint statement at Sochi to
"accelerate" reaching agreement on the Basic Principles for a
Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. As evidence of their
political will, they should refrain from maximalist positions in the
negotiations, respect the 1994 ceasefire agreement, and abstain from
hostile rhetoric that increases tension. We urge the leaders to be
guided by the principles of the Helsinki Final Act -- particularly
those relating to the non-use of force or the threat of force,
territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of
peoples -- and the elements of a settlement outlined in our countries'
statements at L'Aquila in 2009 and Muskoka in 2010.
Military force will not resolve the conflict and would only prolong
the suffering and hardships endured by the peoples of the region for
too long. Only a peaceful, negotiated settlement can allow the entire
region to move beyond the status quo toward a secure and prosperous
future.
Our countries will continue to work closely with the sides, and we
call upon them to make full use of the assistance of the Minsk Group
Co-Chairs as mediators. However, peace will depend ultimately upon the
parties' willingness to seek an agreement based on mutual
understanding, rather than one-sided advantage, and a shared vision of
the benefits that peace will bring to all their peoples and to future
generations.
June 18, 2012
Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASES
We, the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries --
France, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America --
are united in our resolute commitment to a peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The parties to the conflict should not
further delay making the important decisions necessary to reach a
lasting and peaceful settlement. We regret that the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia did not take the decisive steps that our
countries called for in the joint statement at Deauville on May 26,
2011. Nevertheless, the progress that has been achieved should provide
the momentum to complete work on the framework for a comprehensive
peace.
We call upon the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to fulfill the
commitment in their January 23, 2012 joint statement at Sochi to
"accelerate" reaching agreement on the Basic Principles for a
Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. As evidence of their
political will, they should refrain from maximalist positions in the
negotiations, respect the 1994 ceasefire agreement, and abstain from
hostile rhetoric that increases tension. We urge the leaders to be
guided by the principles of the Helsinki Final Act -- particularly
those relating to the non-use of force or the threat of force,
territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of
peoples -- and the elements of a settlement outlined in our countries'
statements at L'Aquila in 2009 and Muskoka in 2010.
Military force will not resolve the conflict and would only prolong
the suffering and hardships endured by the peoples of the region for
too long. Only a peaceful, negotiated settlement can allow the entire
region to move beyond the status quo toward a secure and prosperous
future.
Our countries will continue to work closely with the sides, and we
call upon them to make full use of the assistance of the Minsk Group
Co-Chairs as mediators. However, peace will depend ultimately upon the
parties' willingness to seek an agreement based on mutual
understanding, rather than one-sided advantage, and a shared vision of
the benefits that peace will bring to all their peoples and to future
generations.