OSCE: Sarkisian and Aliyev Reaffirm Commitment to the Minsk Group Format

BERN — The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued the following statement after the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents held in Bern:

The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a summit on Saturday in Bern, Switzerland, under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France). The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the summit.

The summit created an opportunity for the Presidents to clarify their respective positions during their one-on-one meeting.

The Presidents discussed recent violence and expressed particular concern about casualties, including civilians, caused by the use of heavy weapons. The Presidents supported the Co-Chairs’ ongoing work on proposals regarding measures to reduce the risk of violence along the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including an investigation mechanism.

The Presidents confirmed their readiness to continue engagement on proposals regarding a settlement currently under negotiation. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the Minsk Group format.

The Co-Chairs remain ready to work with the sides on mediating a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.