The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, expressed his deep concern about yesterday’s downing of a helicopter near the Line of Contact. He appeals to the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to do their utmost to prevent such incidents and to honour the ceasefire regime.
The CiO called it particularly regrettable that several spikes of violence had resulted in an unprecedented number of casualties this year. Strict adherence to the ceasefire regime and full respect of previously made commitments are indispensable to reach the level of confidence necessary to agree on a conflict settlement, he said.
Referring to yesterday’s statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States, and Pierre Andrieu of France), Burkhalter expressed his appreciation for the intensification of high-level contacts since the Sochi meeting of 10 August and encouraged the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue their dialogue.
