Ann Linde in Yerevan finds support for continued role of Minsk Group in Karabakh settlement process

OSCE Chairperson-in-office, Ann Linde, visited Yerevan on Tuesday for talks with the Armenian leadership. Linde, who is also Swedish foreign minister, met president Armen Sarkissian, prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and other officials.

Linde was in Baku on Sunday and Monday for talks with the Azerbaijani leadership.

In both countries it appears that Linde was trying to forge a role for the OSCE in the future negotiations on Karabakh. The OSCE Minsk Group led by France, Russia and the United States, was marginalised in the Autumn during the 44-day Karabakh war and following the trilateral declaration signed by Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on 10 November 2020 that ended the fighting and laid the basis for new arrangements in the region.

In Yerevan, Linde would have found support for the idea of a continued role for the Minsk Group. Linde later tweeted

source: commonspace.eu with agencies photo: Swedish Foreign Minister and OSCE CiO Ann Linde, with Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on 16 March 2021. (picture courtesy of @AnnLinde on twitter)

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.