OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, welcomed the statement made today by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in commemoration of the ceasefire that entered into force on 12 May 1994.

He expressed his gratitude to the Co-Chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the United States of America)  and to Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, his Personal Representative on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference, for their tireless mediation efforts.

The Chairperson-in-Office recalled that the ceasefire of 1994 had put an end to a war whose consequences still impair the everyday life of all too many people in the South Caucasus. Violent incidents at the Line of Contact and at the international border remain frequent and no settlement of the conflict could be found so far.

Burkhalter joined the Co-Chairs in their appeal to Armenians and Azerbaijanis “to take the necessary steps towards peace”. He reconfirmed the full support of the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship for the mediation process led by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.