OSCE MG Co-Chairs to discuss Karabakh peace in Helsinki

Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) for settlement of the Karabakh conflict have arrived in Helsinki for consultations.

“Finland  is a Minsk Group member and we arrive in Helsinki today for consultations. Look forward to exchanging info on NK peace,” James Warlick, OSCE MG Co-Chair of the United States, posted on Twitter.

The situation on the Line of Contact of the Azerbaijani and Karabakh troops and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has escalated since the beginning of the year. The sides blame each other of the ceasefire violations and casualties.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) have come out with a joint statement on the Karabakh lately. In particular, they said that the military situation along the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border is deteriorating, “posing a threat to regional stability and endangering the lives of civilians.” “We strongly urge the sides to find the political will to begin this process [of intensive negotiations] immediately without excuses,” they said in the statement.