On 29 September 2020, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, in telephone calls with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Ceyhun Bayramov, expressed alarm at developments in Nagorno-Karabakh and called on the two parties to cease hostilities in the region and seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved by peaceful means, based on generally recognised principles of international law and the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. To stop the escalation of violence, there is need to commence immediate talks at the highest level between Armenian and Azeri officials with the participation of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
To date, the United Nations, the Russian Federation and the United States of America have urged both sides to cease hostilities. Concern over the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the need for the parties to immediately stop hostilities and begin conflict resolution through a diplomatic dialogue has been expressed by senior officials of several countries and international organisations – including the UN, the OSCE, the EU, and NATO.
Background information
The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Its main task is to facilitate conflict resolution through holding high-level talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The negotiations take place in Geneva on a bi-monthly basis. In the past half a year, the negotiations have been held via videoconferencing.
