The United States calls on the parties to the Karabakh conflict to translate agreements into concrete actions.
Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council today, US Ambassador to the OSCE James S. Gilmore III hailed the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.
Noting that “a great deal has changed over the past year, the Ambassador said “we are concerned about casualties on the Line of Contact in recent months.”
“ These casualties illustrate the continuing human cost of the conflict. They raise the temperature on the ground – and in capitals. And, they deepen distrust and animosity, diminishing prospects for a lasting settlement,” he added.
“At the same time, we are encouraged by the constructive high-level contacts between the leaders and foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan…We encourage the sides to agree on concrete measures discussed throughout this year on specific humanitarian and security measures to prepare the populations for peace and reduce tensions. We also welcome the simultaneous release of prisoners that took place on June 28,” the Ambassador continued.
“Yet, agreement on these issues is not enough. We call on the sides to translate these agreements into concrete actions now. The time has come for the sides to prepare their populations for peace, and to refrain from mutual accusations and recriminations. The United States supports confidence-building measures and increased dialogue between Armenians and Azerbaijanis that can stabilize the security situation and foster a more constructive atmosphere for negotiations. Those participating in dialogue must be able to do so freely and without fear of harassment or recrimination when they return home,” he stated.
The Ambassador stressed that there can be no military solution to this conflict, and the status quo is unacceptable.
“The United States is committed to working with the sides to find a lasting and peaceful resolution based on the principles, shared by participating States, of non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples, as embraced in the Helsinki Final Act, which remains the key instruments of principles and conduct for the OSCE member States,” James S. Gilmore III concluded.
