The United Nations Secretary General encourages the sides to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to build on the positive momentum created by a recent summit to reach a peaceful settlement of the issue, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

"The Secretary General welcomes the summit held on October 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, between the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, organized under the auspices of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. He is encouraged by the Presidents’ agreement to take measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional steps to reduce tensions on the line of contact," Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations’ support for the ongoing mediation efforts of the co-chairs and encourages the sides to build on the positive momentum created by this summit to reach a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict."

Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan has said after the summit that the only solution to the Karabakh conflict is for Artsakh to remain outside Azerbaijan.