UK supports Minsk Group Co-Chairs and OSCE for efforts towards regional stability

UK Ambassador Bush urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to act with restraint in the interests of civilians and make a conscious effort to support regional stability.

From:

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Bush

Delivered on:

18 November 2021 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Thank you Madame Chair.

The United Kingdom welcomes the continued efforts of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office and the Head of the High-Level Planning Group (HLPG).

Despite the difficulties posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you have continued to work tirelessly to secure a peaceful and sustainable settlement to the conflict,

as evidenced by your discussions and detailed reports over the last 12 months. The United Kingdom offers its unconditional and continued support for your efforts. As evidenced earlier this week, the situation on the ground remains tense. The United Kingdom urges both parties to act with restraint, in the interests of civilians and make a conscious effort to support regional stability. We strongly condemn all actions that put civilian lives and regional security and stability at risk. We offer condolences for all loss of life.

Ambassador Kasprzyk, we welcome your on-going efforts and your assessment of the situation on the ground. We note and welcome the news in Ambassador Kasprzyk’s report that both sides have acknowledged the need for border demarcation and delimitation. This is an important step forward and we reinforce the calls of the Co-Chairs for all parties to prioritise this issue. However, last year’s agreement should be implemented in full by the parties to the conflict, they should prioritise the return of all detainees and prisoners of war, the delivery of mine maps and the unblocking of regional transport connections.

Your experience and efforts are invaluable and you, and your team, continue to have the United Kingdom’s backing. Following last year’s conflict, we welcome your renewed efforts, alongside the Swedish Chair, to bring together the parties to secure a peaceful settlement. Your report is clear: the OSCE must remain fully engaged on this file.

Ambassador Khovaev, Ambassador Roquefeuil and Ambassador Schofer, thank you very much for your report today. I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassadors Roquefeuil and Khovaev on their appointments, and thank outgoing Ambassadors Visconti and Poppov for their work over the last few years. The United Kingdom welcomes the efforts of France, the United States and Russia, and offers our unconditional support for their efforts in their capacity as Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group. We welcome recent progress towards resuming negotiations, including the recent meeting of Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and Foreign Minister Bayramov on the 10th November. We support the Co-Chairs’ calls for all sides to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions.

Colonel Nilsson, thank you also for your update today on the work of the High Level Planning Group, which the UK continues to support. We are pleased to hear that you are continuing to mainstream a gender perspective across your planning activities.

We reiterate our continued support to the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office and the Head of the High-Level Planning Group (HLPG). The United Kingdom encourages all parties to work together, in good faith, to secure a peaceful future for the people of the region and to deliver regional security, prosperity and stability. We remain ready to assist.

Thank you Madam Chair.