OSCE HOPES PARTIES TO THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT WOULD MAKE FURTHER PROGRESS TOWARDS A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
May 12, 2009 Tuesday

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis
expressed hope that the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would
make further progress towards a peaceful settlement, and urged them
to implement fully the provisions of the ceasefire, including pulling
back snipers from the front lines.

Speaking ahead of the 15th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement that
ended one of the most violent conflicts in the area of the former
Soviet Union, Bakoyannis said that she welcomed the constructive
discussions between President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President
Serzh Sarksyan of Armenia in Prague on 7 May facilitated by the Minsk
Group Co-Chairs.

I fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as of
my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, to encourage
a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
on the basis of the Madrid Document. Such a settlement is the only
way for the peoples of the region to enjoy the fruits of peace and
cooperation and we must keep up the momentum that all sides have
worked so hard to achieve, she said.

We must also keep in mind that despite the important ceasefire
that was signed 15 years ago, the situation on the ground remains
extremely volatile, and tragically, lives continue to be lost. Further
confidence-building measures are necessary, and I urge the parties
to respect all provisions of the ceasefire, as well as the proposals
of the Co-Chairs at the 2008 Helsinki OSCE Ministerial Conference to
withdraw snipers from the front lines.