CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Mr. Chair,
Norway is deeply concerned by the reports of military hostilities along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The hostilities have sadly led to the loss of life. Norway extends its condolences to the bereaved and wishes for a full recovery to the injured.
We urge the parties to immediately discontinue the hostilities and re-engage in meaningful and substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group to find a balanced solution to the conflict. Until such a solution is found, the 1994 ceasefire agreement must be strictly observed.
Continued fighting will lead to suffering among civilians, additional loss of life and property and to continued destabilisation of the region. We would therefore encourage both parties to the conflict, as well as all countries in the region to refrain from any activities that could contribute to further escalations of the conflict.
We commend and support the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office for the conflict dealt with by the Minsk Group, Ambassador Kasprzyk and call upon the parties to return to the negotiation table.
Thank you