MINSK, 28 September (BelTA) – Chairperson of the Council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Valentina Matviyenko made a statement on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, BelTA learned from the CIS IPA press service.
“Many of my colleagues from our parliamentary community have addressed me as the head of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly over the recent tragic events around Nagorno-Karabakh. They have expressed the feelings of deep concern which I fully share. The situation is extremely dangerous. It may escalate into a full-scale military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, that are equally close and friendly countries for Russia and other CIS states. This conflict cannot have a military solution. In this regard, I would like to call, first of all, on the parties for an immediate ceasefire,” Valentina Matviyenko said.
According to her, any escalation would mean new casualties, including among the civilian population, which cannot be justified by any political considerations. “We support the call of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Azerbaijan and Armenia to immediately stop fighting and return to negotiations. We urge all responsible world forces to refrain from any form of interference in this conflict, and share the call of the international community to give the unconditional priority to the cessation of hostilities and to return to the negotiation process in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group. In its capacity of co-chair of this group, Russia is, of course, ready to provide any possible assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia in the search for peaceful solutions to the dispute, including with the use of parliamentary diplomacy,” the statement reads.
