Rene van der Linden: "The future of the South Caucasus region depends on peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict"

"I must once again reiterate that there will be no sustainable development or prosperity for the region and no future for its children without a peaceful settlement to this dispute," said Mr. van der Linden, who held a series of high-level meetings with political leaders when visiting the region last August, as Trend informs.

"I strongly encourage all parties to resume their discussions as soon as possible and with renewed determination. The Minsk Group process retains the full political support of the Assembly," he added.

"In addition, we will continue to facilitate parliamentary diplomacy as a supplementary means of promoting dialogue and rapprochement, in particular through our ad-hoc committee dealing with the issue, which will be meeting next month. Following this, I intend to discuss ways to intensify these efforts when I meet the speakers of the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan in May."