Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, issued  the following statement today on the fighting along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border

“As the armed conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh escalates with a growing number of civilian casualties, I mourn the deaths of the many people, including civilians, who are falling victim to the hostilities. No political considerations can justify the horror and suffering of these women, men and children. I implore all sides of the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and implement without delay the interim measures decided by the European Court of Human Rights. A peaceful solution must be found at the negotiating table to prevent a grave humanitarian crisis.”

The Secretary General reiterated her support to the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to this end.