Your trusted source

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs note with alarm the continuing violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In a released statement on Monday Co-Chairs Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States call on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to take immediate steps to execute in full the obligations of the sides according to the October 10 Moscow statement, in order to prevent catastrophic consequences for the region.

The Co-Chairs next reiterate that civilian casualties are unacceptable under any circumstances. "The Co-Chairs call on the sides to implement the humanitarian ceasefire immediately to allow the return of remains, prisoners of war, and detainees, and appeal to the sides to agree urgently upon a ceasefire verification mechanism," the statement said.

It is noted that following conversations with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, the Co-Chairs are working with the sides on the substantive issues of the Nagorno-Karabakh political settlement process in order to reach a negotiated solution.