UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged "
Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume negotiations under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on Friday December 4 to achieve a lasting peaceful settlement
», In a press release that does not quote Turkey.
The UN chief, said his statement, "
encourages the governments and peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan to embark on the path of dialogue to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity
."
Read also: The Senate votes for the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
Its text also underlines the United Nations' readiness to respond to the humanitarian needs of the populations affected in Nagorny Karabakh by the recent conflict and calls for full cooperation from the parties to ensure "
free access
" for the delivery of aid.
Antonio Guterres' press release comes the day after a joint statement by the United States, Russia and France, co-chairs of the Minsk Group, to reaffirm the importance of this forum, while Turkey claims a new format of negotiations in which it would be a party.
Azerbaijan, for its part, called for France to be excluded from mediation after the French Senate voted on a text calling for "
recognition
" of Nagorno Karabakh.
Founded in the 1990s after a first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Minsk Group of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) is responsible for mediating Nagorny Karabakh, a self-proclaimed republic mostly Armenian, part of Azerbaijan.