OSCE talks on Nagorno Karabakh considered

VIENNA, 21 June 1995 - The parties to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict held confidential negotiations under the co-chairmanship of Finland and the Russian Federation on 15-19 June in Helsinki. The encouraging atmosphere gives reason to believe that the negotiations process may have become irreversible.

The conflict parties continued negotiations on a political agreement on the cessation of hostilities. In parallel, a number of "key issues" relating to the statement of the conflict were discussed.

After the negotiations, the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Conference, Finland and the Russian Federation, and the delegations of France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States participated in the consultations of the Minsk Group in Helsinki on 20-21 June, and adopted the "Helsinki Statement" which underlined the importance of the continued observance of the cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the necessity of making every effort to prevent the resumption of hostilities.

The Minsk Group also stressed the urgency of settling the humanitarian questions resulting from the conflict. The parties were reminded of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to release immediately all prisoners of war and detained persons. The Group appealed to the leaders of the conflicting parties to declare a general amnesty for those who participated in the armed conflict.

The Co-Chairmen decided to consult the parties jointly in the conflict region, and then convene a meeting of the Minsk Group during the second half of July 1995 in Austria. The next round of negotiations will take place in Moscow and Helsinki.

The OSCE Minsk Group, which will culminate in the convening of the Minsk Conference, is active in the process leading to a peaceful political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Conference, to be held in Minsk, will provide an ongoing forum for negotiations toward a lasting settlement of the crisis. The full Minsk Group has thirteen Member States: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finnland, Germany, United States of America, Belarus, France, Hungary, Italy, Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.