Outbreak of violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, its heavy death toll and human suffering made abundantly clear the risks inherent when conflicts remain unresolved, Press Office of the Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs told QİA.AZ.
Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.
The Swedish ministry said that contributing to conflict resolution in the OSCE region based on our commonly agreed principles and commitments will be at the top of the agenda of the Swedish chairpersonship in the OSCE. To this end, the Swedish Chair will actively support the OSCE’s existing conflict resolution formats and processes, including through the special representatives of the Chairperson-in-Office (CiO).
Achieving comprehensive security throughout the OSCE region requires meaningful inclusion and empowerment of women, and the Chair will place special emphasis on strengthening gender equality in all aspects of the work of the OSCE.
Following the last visits of the former OSCE CiO (2019) and Secretary General (2018) the organization and Azerbaijan have stepped up activities and continue to explore further areas for increased OSCE engagement in and with Azerbaijan.
“Contributing to and supporting conflict resolution is a strong priority for the Swedish term as Chair,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that a consolidation of the ceasefire will allow for other steps to be taken to further stabilize the situation, with the ultimate goal of bringing long-lasting peace to the people of the region.
“The OSCE is committed to supporting Azerbaijan in the implementation of its commitments in all three dimensions of security,” the ministry said.