Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Andrew Schofer r (USA), Igor Khovayev (Russia) and Brice Roquefueil (France).
The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is possible only through peaceful means, under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, based on the principles and elements known to the parties.
The interlocutors attached importance to the Co-Chairs’ visit to the region with a view to getting acquainted with the situation on the ground. They prioritized the implementation of clear steps aimed at de-escalation of the situation in the region.
In this regard, Ararat Mirzoyan condemned the attacks on the civilian population in Nagorno Karabakh, which resulted in casualties, and stressed the unacceptability of the continuous anti-Armenian rhetoric.
The Armenian Foreign Minister and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs exchanged views on humanitarian issues requiring urgent solution. In this context, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the need for immediate, unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees, as well as clarification of the fate of the missing and preservation of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage.
On the same day, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian and mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
During the five-party meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister expressed the position of the Armenian side, noting that the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship should be fully restored.
Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed the positions expressed at the meeting with the Co-Chairs, including the need for de-escalation, the settlement of humanitarian issues, as well as the inadmissibility of provocations and anti-Armenian rhetoric.
