The UK, as a friend of Armenia and Azerbaijan, will continue to support all efforts to resolve Karabakh conflict, said Mark Simmonds, parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

“We continue to encourage Azerbaijan and Armenia to follow the Madrid principles, to exercise restraint, to avoid provocation and to redouble efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement based on the principles of refraining from the threat or use of force, territorial integrity and the people’s right to self-determination,” he said during the Tuesday debates on Nagorno-Karabakh in the House of Commons.

The UK is concerned by the ongoing breach of the ceasefire along the line of contact as well as along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and strongly supports the work of the co-chairs of the Minsk group-led peace process.

At the same time he expressed concern over the fact that “neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is creating a situation in which a peace agreement would be acceptable to their populations”.

“The South Caucasus can be a crossroads for trade, transport and energy, linking China, central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Turkey, Europe and the middle east. Given that potential, it is hugely disappointing that this conflict remains unresolved, not least as we approach the 20th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement this May,” he emphasized.