Vienna, February 17, AZERTAC

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America) have made a statement after meeting with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian separately and then jointly. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings.

In the statement, the Co-Chairs said they discussed with the Ministers the current situation along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The Co-Chairs reiterated that there is no alternative to a peaceful solution to the conflict and that war is not an option.

The Co-Chairs also said they are aware that a so-called constitutional referendum is scheduled to take place in Nagorno-Karabakh on February 20, 2017. They reiterated that no countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent and sovereign state. “Accordingly, the Co-Chairs do not accept the results of the referendum on February 20 as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh.” “The Co-Chairs also stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the statement says.

Elgun Niftali

Special Correspondent