Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE Courtney Austrian called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately fulfill their commitments under a ceasefire agreement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and resume negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
Recalling that the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire on October 10, and then on October 17, and also on October 24, Austrian said that the United States is deeply disappointed that the sides have failed to adhere to the ceasefire
"The United States facilitated intensive negotiations among the Foreign Ministers and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to move Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the statement posted on the organization's website says.
"There is no military solution to this conflict. We urge the sides to abide by their commitments to cease the violence and pursue a diplomatic solution to the conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs," she stressed.
"We urge the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach agreement on access to and the exchange of detainees and remains during their talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross and with the support of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. We call on the sides to observe fully their obligations under international humanitarian law, including their obligations related to protection of civilians and civilian objects," Austrian said, stressing that the U.S. condemns in the strongest terms the continuing violence along the Line of Contact, including attacks reportedly striking civilian populations.
Stressing that this conflict cannot be resolved through military means, she said that the only solution is a negotiated settlement based on the basic principles well known by both sides.
"We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to cease inflammatory rhetoric, to abide by the humanitarian ceasefire they committed to in Moscow, Paris, and Washington, and to conclude substantive negotiations to end this conflict and its tragic toll on human lives," the deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE concluded.
