Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Vladimir Norov has issued the following statement on the escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone:

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is extremely concerned with the developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

We hope that the opposing parties will soon step back from using force and begin negotiations based on the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes for the sake of ensuring security and stability in the region.

We confirm our readiness to further expand multilateral and multi-sectoral cooperation with Azerbaijan and Armenia as our partners in the SCO dialogue in the context of strengthening mutual trust, friendship and neighbourly relations across Eurasia.”