Armenia, Azerbaijan reiterate commitment to peaceful solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have reiterated their commitment to a cease-fire between their countries and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a meeting on Monday.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with foreign ministers from the countries of the Minsk Group under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including Russia, the United States and France on Monday in the Austrian capital Vienna.

In a joint statement, the leaders and foreign ministers reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The co-chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 cease-fire agreements.

Sargsyan and Aliyev reiterated their commitment to the cease-fire and a peaceful settlement to the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism.

The presidents also agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which they committed during a summit in Paris in October 2014.

In addition, the two leaders agreed on the next round of talks, to be held in June at an undetermined location.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988, when the enclave dominated by ethnic Armenians claimed independence from Azerbaijan and voiced a desire to join Armenia.

Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a cease-fire agreement was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes.

In early April, new clashes took place on the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides. Endi