I would like to join others in warmly welcoming Ambassador Kasprzyk to the Permanent Council. As one of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group, the United States assigns particular importance to his work in monitoring the Line of Contact and maintaining OSCE’s only standing presence in the region.

We are pleased that the new procedures for ensuring the security of the monitoring teams are working successfully. We strongly agree that stability along the front lines is of great importance to the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to facilitate a durable peace settlement, and we urge the parties fully to respect the cease-fire.

I would like to respond in particular to Ambassador Kaspryzk’s remarks on attendance of the TRACECA conference by Armenian Prime Minister Darbinian. I am sure we all share the desire to see the Caucasus assume its natural place as a peaceful and prosperous crossroads for trade linking Europe and Asia. OSCE can assist in this process. But its success ultimately rests on the efforts of the parties themselves.

In this regard, we are encouraged that Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders set aside their mutual grievances in the interest of advancing their dialogue at the TRACECA conference. We hope that this visit will be followed by more high-level exchanges between the two countries, which can only advance the cause of peace.