Mr. Chairperson,

We welcome Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the Conflict Dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference and the Head of the High-Level Planning Group, back to the Permanent Council. Presentation of their reports today provides us with the opportunity to pay additional attention to one of the ongoing conflicts in the OSCE area, which continue to undermine security and stability in Europe.

We thank speakers for informing on the recent developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Position of Ukraine on this issue has been clear and consistent: this conflict must be resolved based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, core principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act, and in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The firm mutual support, including within the international organizations, for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and Azerbaijan, has been in particular confirmed during the recent meeting of Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko and Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov on the margins of the conference on the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership, on 5 November in Stockholm. This mutual political support is complemented with practical steps aimed at observance of non-recognition policy for the occupied parts of the territories of our countries. On 27 September, the MFA of Ukraine has officially reminded the citizens of Ukraine on the necessity to comply with the national legislation of Azerbaijan while travelling to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In conclusion, let me reiterate Ukraine’s support to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The ongoing high-level contacts between political leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia, on which today’s speakers informed us, are useful in this regard.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.