Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland has issued a statement over the sabotage infiltration attempted by the Azerbaijani forces on the Armenian border on 29 December 2016.
The statement of the CoE Secretary General underscores that the Council of Europe does not have a direct role in the negotiations and always supports the role of the OSCE Minsk-Group.
However Jagland has expressed concerns over the humanitarian aspects of the conflict.
“I am aware that the violations of the ceasefire on 29 December resulted in casualties, and that the Armenian Armed Forces are still holding the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman killed in the fighting. I urge the parties to respect the ceasefire, and I fully support the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group’s call for the return, without delay, of human remains – in accordance with the agreements of the Astrakhan Summit of 2010 – bearing in mind the humanitarian nature of this issue,” Jagland statement reads.