OSCE Chairperson stresses need for continued efforts towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

VILNIUS, 25 June 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, stressed today the importance to continue the efforts towards reaching a comprehensive peace settlement on Nagorno-Karabakh, while commenting on yesterday’s meeting in Kazan of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“I welcome the efforts in reaching common understanding on a number of issues whose resolution will help create the conditions for approval of the Basic Principles. I hope the work to address the outstanding issues will be continued, to pave the way towards resolving the conflict,” Ažubalis said.

“The OSCE stands ready to support and complement, including via my Personal Representative on the conflict, any efforts made at the tripartite level and under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, to put an end to confrontation and instability in the South Caucasus.”

Ažubalis emphasized the need for strengthening the ceasefire regime and for further confidence-building measures with involvement of the civil society as discussed during his meetings with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in March. “I encourage the leaders to follow through on the agreements made in the previous tripartite meetings in Astrakhan in October 2010 and in Sochi in March this year, including to investigate possible incidents on the Line of Contact and refrain from the threat or use of force,” he said.