YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Circle of Friendship with Artsakh of French-Speaking MPs and Representatives of the Academic Circles of Belgium issued a statement on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the trilateral Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities in the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict zone.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, the statement, in particular, reads that this Agreement put an end to the active hostilities between the parties to the conflict, but despite all the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, no comprehensive Agreement on the final settlement of the conflict is reached.

The members of the Friendship Circle also noted that the April war of 2016 reminded of the explosiveness of the situation and the tragic consequences of possible escalation.

“There is no alternative to a peaceful solution to the conflict. Curbing bellicose rhetoric, hate-speech and putting in place confidence-building, such as OSCE investigative mechanism to prevent ceasefire violations, which the Armenian side has accepted, and promoting people-to-people contacts are an essential prerequisite”, the statement reads.

The members of the Friendship Circle expressed conviction that for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region the full-fledged participation in the negotiation process of the authorities of Artsakh as a party to the conflict and one of the signatories of the Agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities is necessary.