OSCE PA President welcomes Armenia’s decision not to withdraw from negotiations

Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan had a meeting with the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Riccardo Migliori, on the sidelines of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Strasbourg.

OSCE PA President highly appreciated Hovik Abrahamyan’s speech at the conference. He condemned Safarov’s release, hailing Armenia’s decision not to withdraw from the negotiations.

Mr. Migliori emphasized the importance of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations and stressed the role of the parliaments in the process. Touching upon the Karabakh issue, the OSCE PA President said the issue should be solved on the basis of the Madrid Principles.

Speaker Abrahamyan said Armenia attaches importance to the cooperation with the OSCE, as well as the organization’s support to the democratic reforms implemented in our country.

Hovik Abrahamyan underlined that the Armenian side attaches importance to the mediating efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in the process of settlement of the Karabakh issue, adding that the basis of settlement of the Karabakh issue is the recognition and realization of the people’s right to self-determination.

“Armenia pursues the resolution of the issue exceptionally in a peaceful way and attaches importance to the establishment of an atmosphere of mutual trust to continue the negotiations on a constructive path. Azerbaijan’s behavior and the recent events connected with the Safarov case endanger the negotiation process and pose a threat to regional stability,” the Speaker said.