Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group issued on 29 July: UK statement
Ambassador Neil Bush welcomes continued efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to secure a sustainable, peaceful and fully negotiated settlement.
Thank you Madame Chair,
The United Kingdom thanks the French delegation for reading out the 29 July statement by the Co-Chairs. The United Kingdom offers its condolences for the loss of life along the border in recent weeks – our thoughts are with the friends and families who have lost loved ones. We urge both parties to de-escalate and undertake negotiations to defuse current tensions.
The United Kingdom fully supports and welcomes the continued efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to secure a sustainable, peaceful and fully negotiated settlement including on recent border tensions.
We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to utilise the offer from the Co-Chairs to negotiate a comprehensive settlement to all outstanding matters related to the conflict. We encourage both parties to refrain from taking any actions that will aggravate current tensions and to urgently engage in substantive discussions, without preconditions.
The Minsk Group remains the primary format through which a settlement should be reached. The United Kingdom offers its absolute support to the Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office as they all continue in their efforts to secure regional peace and stability.