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STATEMENT BY THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/186622.htm
March 22, 2012
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
Following is a joint statement issued on March 22, 2012, by Foreign
Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State
of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Foreign Minister of
France Alain Juppe.
Begin text:
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the formal request to
convene a conference on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we, the
Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, call
upon the sides to demonstrate the political will needed to achieve a
lasting and peaceful settlement. As Presidents Medvedev, Obama, and
Sarkozy reiterated in their joint statement at Deauville on May 24,
2011, only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace, stability, and
reconciliation, and any attempt to use force to resolve the conflict
would bring only more suffering to a region that has known uncertainty
and insecurity for too long.
We recall that the peoples of the region have suffered most from
the consequences of war, and any delay in reaching a settlement will
only prolong their hardships. A new generation has come of age in the
region with no first-hand memory of Armenians and Azeris living side
by side, and prolonging these artificial divisions only deepens the
wounds of war. For this reason, we urge the leaders of the sides to
prepare their populations for peace, not war.
Progress toward peace has been made. The joint statements of our three
Presidents at L'Aquila in 2009, Muskoka in 2010, and Deauville in 2011
outlined elements of a framework for a comprehensive peace settlement.
Recently, the January 23, 2012, joint statement in Sochi, Russia, by
Presidents Aliyev, Sargsian, and Medvedev expressed the commitment
of the two sides to accelerate reaching agreement on the Basic
Principles. We urge the leaders of the sides to complete work as soon
as possible on the framework agreement and subsequent final settlement
- based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of non-use or threat of
force, territorial integrity, and self-determination and equal rights
of peoples; the United Nations Charter; and norms and principles of
international law - which will allow the entire region to move beyond
the status quo toward a more secure and prosperous future.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/03/186622.htm
March 22, 2012
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
Following is a joint statement issued on March 22, 2012, by Foreign
Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State
of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Foreign Minister of
France Alain Juppe.
Begin text:
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the formal request to
convene a conference on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we, the
Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, call
upon the sides to demonstrate the political will needed to achieve a
lasting and peaceful settlement. As Presidents Medvedev, Obama, and
Sarkozy reiterated in their joint statement at Deauville on May 24,
2011, only a negotiated settlement can lead to peace, stability, and
reconciliation, and any attempt to use force to resolve the conflict
would bring only more suffering to a region that has known uncertainty
and insecurity for too long.
We recall that the peoples of the region have suffered most from
the consequences of war, and any delay in reaching a settlement will
only prolong their hardships. A new generation has come of age in the
region with no first-hand memory of Armenians and Azeris living side
by side, and prolonging these artificial divisions only deepens the
wounds of war. For this reason, we urge the leaders of the sides to
prepare their populations for peace, not war.
Progress toward peace has been made. The joint statements of our three
Presidents at L'Aquila in 2009, Muskoka in 2010, and Deauville in 2011
outlined elements of a framework for a comprehensive peace settlement.
Recently, the January 23, 2012, joint statement in Sochi, Russia, by
Presidents Aliyev, Sargsian, and Medvedev expressed the commitment
of the two sides to accelerate reaching agreement on the Basic
Principles. We urge the leaders of the sides to complete work as soon
as possible on the framework agreement and subsequent final settlement
- based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of non-use or threat of
force, territorial integrity, and self-determination and equal rights
of peoples; the United Nations Charter; and norms and principles of
international law - which will allow the entire region to move beyond
the status quo toward a more secure and prosperous future.