Deeply Concerned about Reports of Continuing Armenian-Azerbaijan Hostilities, Secretary-General Fully Supports Call for Immediate Humanitarian Ceasefire

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General fully supports the call of the Co-Chairs Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, as agreed in Moscow on 10 October, and confirmed subsequently in Paris on 17 October and in Washington, D.C., on 25 October.  The call is contained in the statement issued today by the Co-Chairs at the end of their meetings in Geneva with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by reports of continuing hostilities, which continue to affect civilians.  He condemns all such attacks and reiterates that both sides have the obligation, under international humanitarian law, to take utmost care to spare and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in the conduct of military operations.

The Secretary-General calls on the sides to implement, in good faith and on an urgent basis, the concrete steps they agreed to take through the facilitation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as their previous commitments.  He urges the sides to continue engaging in a substantive dialogue and to intensify their efforts with the facilitation of the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful and sustainable settlement of the conflict.