The return of 15 Armenian detainees to Armenia today, and Armenia’s handover to Azerbaijan of information that will facilitate important demining work, are welcome confidence building measures, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde. “These important steps bring the sides closer to dialogue, closer to stability, and closer to a comprehensive settlement.”
“I appreciate the valuable role played by the Georgian and US governments, as well as the excellent cooperation between the President of the European Council and the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship, ahead of the agreement. The developments are a vital step also for regional cooperation in the South Caucausus”, Minister Linde noted.
Noting that core issues remain, Linde urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to build upon these positive steps by releasing all remaining detainees, and resuming high-level negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and with the assistance of my personal representative, Ambassador Kasprzyk, in order to find a comprehensive political settlement to all outstanding issues.
