UN secretary-general calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from any actions that may result in further violence
23.12.2015,
18:43
The UN Secretary-General has taken note of the summit held between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 19 December 2015 in Bern, Switzerland,” spokesperson for the Secretary General Fahran Haq told a briefing on December 22.
YEREVAN, December 23. /ARKA/. The UN Secretary-General has taken note of the summit held between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 19 December 2015 in Bern, Switzerland, organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group,” spokesperson for the Secretary General Fahran Haq told a briefing on December 22.
“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has commended the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to organize this meeting and their ongoing work to de-escalate the current tensions along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijani border,” the spokesman said.
“He trusts that the summit offered the two sides the opportunity to discuss the practical steps to reduce the ceasefire violations and the civilian casualties and to agree on ways to move the peace process forward,” he added.
The Secretary-General also noted the expressed support of both Presidents to the Co-Chairs’ efforts with regard to measures aimed at reducing the risk of violence.
The Secretary-General called on the sides to work closely with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to de-escalate the current tensions and to refrain from any actions that may result in further violence.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed.
Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. -0-
“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has commended the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to organize this meeting and their ongoing work to de-escalate the current tensions along the Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijani border,” the spokesman said.
“He trusts that the summit offered the two sides the opportunity to discuss the practical steps to reduce the ceasefire violations and the civilian casualties and to agree on ways to move the peace process forward,” he added.
The Secretary-General also noted the expressed support of both Presidents to the Co-Chairs’ efforts with regard to measures aimed at reducing the risk of violence.
The Secretary-General called on the sides to work closely with the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to de-escalate the current tensions and to refrain from any actions that may result in further violence.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed.
Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. -0-
