OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

Azeri Press Agency
July 22 2008
Azerbaijan

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Matthew Bryza (USA), Bernard Fassier
(France) and Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) have issued the joint statement
on Tuesday.

Co-Chairs have welcomed the constructive achievements reached
at the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents on July 6
in St. Petersburg, Russia, APA reports. They have also expressed
satisfaction with their trip to the region on June 27-28. "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". Co-chairs
noted that there was 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".