The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linden, expressed her full support for the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who issued a statement on 15 November.

“Share deep concern of Minsk Group Co-Chairs regarding reported incidents in the region, including those along Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Express my full support for their efforts and call on sides to de-escalate immediately and take steps to resolve outstanding issue,” Linde wrote on her Twitter.

The November 15 statement of the OSCE Minsk Group read:

“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, Igor Khovaev of the Russian Federation, and Brice Roquefeuil of France) released the following statement today:

The Co-Chairs view with deep concern recent incidents in the region, including those along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The Co-Chairs call on the sides to take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation immediately. The Co-Chairs also urge the sides to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions, and implement in full the commitments they undertook under the November 9 statement and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements.

The recent increase in tension underscores the need for a negotiated, comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Co-Chairs urge the sides to build on the progress made during the joint meetings of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan held under the auspices of the Co-Chairs in New York and Paris, by continuing to engage in direct dialogue aimed at contributing to security, stability, and prosperity in the region.”