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The Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries -- Foreign Minister of the Russia Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and French Permanent Representative Véronique Roger-Lacan adopted a joint statement on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, reiterating their joint commitment to negotiating a peaceful resolution to the conflict “as the only way to bring real reconciliation to the peoples of the region.”

The statement, adopted on the sidelines of the 24th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, vows the Co-Chairing states’ commitment to mediating a peaceful settlement of the conflict “on the basis of the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including the non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples.”

“We welcome the resumption of high-level dialogue between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Geneva on 16 October, as well as the meeting between their Foreign Ministers that took place 6 December in Vienna, under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We express satisfaction with the intensified negotiations, and appeal to the sides to focus their efforts on finding compromise solutions to the substantive issues of political settlement. Further delays will only complicate the situation and could call into question the commitment of the Parties to reach a lasting agreement,” reads the statement, released by the OSCE press service.

The authors make reference to the declared commitment of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents to take additional measures to reduce tension on the line of contact, saying “We urge Baku and Yerevan to accept the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. Other decisions adopted during the Summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016 should also be implemented.

The statement next welcomes the parties’ consideration of the Co-Chairs’ proposals aimed at restoring people-to-people contacts between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, and support the International Committee of the Red Cross in its efforts to move forward with the exchange of data on missing persons, avoiding the unnecessary politicization of those important humanitarian steps.

“Our countries remain ready to work closely with the Sides to reach a lasting and peaceful settlement. We have instructed our Co-Chairs to continue their mediating activities to promote compromises on the working proposals submitted to the Parties, but stress that the primary responsibility to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict rests with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” concludes the statement.