OSCE Chairman's Special Envoy expresses hope for continued progress in Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks

VIENNA, 30 March 2007 - Josep Borrell, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, expressed hope today that the parties in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would sustain the momentum reached so far in negotiations supported by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs have contributed to reducing tensions and bringing the positions of the parties to the conflict closer," Borell said after a meeting with the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France, Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov of the Russian Federation and, representing Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza of the United States, Elizabeth Rood, Director of the Office of Caucasus Affairs and Regional Conflicts at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Borrell said he hoped that the parties would sustain the momentum reached so far in the negotiations.

"I call on the parties involved to ensure that the situation along the Line of Contact and the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be calm and stable, as cease-fire violations can lead to regretful loss of life," Borell added.