OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issue statement on Nagorno-Karabakh
VIENNA, 22 July 2008 - The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued the following statement today:
"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassador Yuri Merzylakov of the Russian Federation; Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza of the United States) welcome the constructive engagement of Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan following their June 6 meeting in St. Petersburg and the Co-Chairs' June 27-28 trip to the region.
At this important juncture, the Co-Chairs call on all parties to refrain from maximalist initiatives on the ground, at the negotiating table, and in their public statements, and to avoid all belligerent rhetoric, as we work together in pursuit of a peaceful settlement.
There is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Both Presidents called for invigorated Minsk Group talks during their meeting in St. Petersburg. The Co-Chairs look forward to meeting again with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in the coming weeks to press forward with negotiations on the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of the conflict."