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Armenia supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group towards settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of three main principles – non-use of force and the threat of force, territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Arman Kirakosyan said in his speech delivered at the OSCE Permanent Council’s session on 11 December.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Italy’s Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano delivered remarks at the session, the Armenian foreign ministry’s press service reported.

Presenting the priorities of the OSCE Italian chairmanship, the top OSCE official specifically highlighted the need to settle the protracted conflicts in the OSCE region and reaffirmed the readiness of Italy’s Chairmanship to assist the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement through supporting the work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

In his remarks, Ambassador Kirakosyan highlighted the conflicts in the OSCE region are not similar and the formats and principles of their settlement are also different. In this regard, the Italian chairmanship’s position to assist the activity of the separate formats of the conflict settlement was specifically stressed.

A special importance was attached to the need to reduce the frontline tensions, including the necessity to strengthen the capacities of the Office of the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office and create an OSCE investigation mechanism. The Armenian official also stressed the need to withdraw snipers from the line of contact as called by the OSCE MG co-chairs and the former OSCE chairmanships.

Speaking about Armenia’s readiness to continue cooperation with the OSCE after the closure of its Yerevan office, Arman Kirakosyan attached importance to the implementation of the OSCE’s cooperation program with Armenia and the Italian chairmanship’s support in this direction.