Conservative Party of Canada Calls for an End to Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh

Conservative Party of Canada Calls for an End to Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh –

OTTAWA – Official Opposition Foreign Affairs critic, Tony Clement, and deputy critic, Peter Kent, expressed deep concern today over the lethal armed clashes that erupted this weekend along the Nagorno-Karabakh border, and urged an end to hostilities and renewed efforts to find a peaceful solution.

Clement and Kent issued the following statement after reports of 30 troops being killed, in what is the worst escalation of violence since a ceasefire agreement was reached in 1994, ending all-out war in the region:

“We strongly encourage Armenian and Azerbaijani forces to end this violence. As it has been reported that Azerbaijan initiated these attacks, we also urge the Liberal Government to demand Azerbaijan be held to account through negotiations being facilitated by the Minsk Group of Russia, France and the United States. Any effort to compromise the negotiation process through armed intervention is unacceptable. The Conservative caucus supports an immediate return to a true ceasefire, and meaningful negotiations.

“The Conservative caucus has long recognized the deep ties between Canada and Armenia. Under our Government, resolutions were adopted which recognized the Armenian Genocide and which designated April as ‘Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month.’ Our Conservative Government also sent a delegation of senior ministers to Yerevan to mark the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015.”