CO-CHAIRMEN OF OSCE MINSK GROUP ISSUES STATEMENT ON REQUEST FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

US State News
June 22, 2009 Monday 7:32 PM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia, May 11 — The U.S. Embassy issued the following
statement:

Fifteen years ago large-scale hostilities ceased in Nagorno-Karabakh,
in what had become the most violent conflict on the territory of the
former Soviet Union. The leaders at the time made a courageous and
farsighted decision to instruct their military commanders to sign an
agreement on an immediate ceasefire with no fixed term.

Unfortunately, this ceasefire has been imperfect and tragically
every year lives are lost along the front lines. We sincerely hope
that a peace settlement, towards which the parties are now working,
will allow new generations to grow up in Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh without experiencing the horrors of war. Until then,
we call on the parties to implement the provisions of the ceasefire,
the "Proposals on strengthening the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict" agreed in 1995, as well as the Co-Chairs’ proposals at the
2008 Helsinki Ministerial Conference to pull back snipers from the
front lines. We express our hope that the present leaders will be
able to overcome the complex causes and difficult consequences of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and create an atmosphere of security,
trust, cooperation and fruitful communication between peoples in
the region, allowing them to live in peace as good neighbors. We
further hope the leaders will succeed, in cooperation with the Minsk
Group Co-Chairs, in finalizing their Basic Principles for a peaceful
settlement.For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar,
Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress