Minsk Group Co-Chairs to Visit Armenia and Azerbaijan: Statement

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Igor Popov from Russia, Stéphane Visconti from France, and Andrew Schofer from the United States) are set to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in the near future. This was announced in a statement released by the Minsk Group co-chairs on September 25.

The statement notes that during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the co-chairs held both joint and individual meetings with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. The co-chairs were also joined at the meeting by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Additionally, the co-chairs met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, and senior UN officials.

In their statement, the co-chairs informed the ministers about their activities following the joint meeting held in Washington in June, including recent consultations in Paris and Geneva regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The co-chairs noted the positive outcomes of efforts by the parties to reduce violence over the summer, expressing deep regret over a recent unfortunate incident. The co-chairs and ministers discussed the possibility of implementing additional measures aimed at de-escalating tensions and maintaining a favorable atmosphere for substantive discussions.