Minsk Group co-Chairs issue statement after meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani Ministers

After the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on Monday (23 September) on Wednesday the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk process issued a statement, which was posted on the OSCE website. The statement said:

"The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately and jointly with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

The Co-Chairs were joined in their meetings by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. They also met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, and senior officials of the United Nations.

The Co-Chairs briefed the two Ministers on their activities since the joint meeting in Washington in June, including recent consultations in Paris and Geneva on the humanitarian and security dimensions of the conflict.

The Co-Chairs noted the positive effects of the sides' efforts to minimize violence during the summer period, including the use of the existing direct communication links, and expressed deep regret over the recent fatality.

The Co-Chairs and the Ministers continued their discussion of additional measures to reduce tensions and sustain an atmosphere conducive to peace and favorable to substantive talks. Recalling their 9 March statement, the Co-Chairs encouraged the sides to minimize the use of rhetoric that is inflammatory or prejudges the outcome of negotiations.

The Co-Chairs intend to visit the region in the near future."

source: commonspace.eu with osce.org

 

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
Syrian president al Sharaa at the White House

Syrian president al Sharaa at the White House

Syrian president, Mohammed al Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday (10 November). Trump met with Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, six months after the two first met in Saudi Arabia, and just days after Washington said that the Syrian leader, who once led an Al-Qaeda affiliate group, was no longer a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." Washington suspended the imposition of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria in part for 180 days, the Treasury Department said as the meeting took place. The move replaces a previous waiver enacted on 23 May, it said On Friday, the US lifted sanctions on Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, a day after the UN Security Council took the same step. Sharaa, 42, took power last year after his fighters launched a lightning offensive from their Idlib and overthrew longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad just days later on December 8. Syria's regional realignment has since moved  away from key allies of the former regime, Iran and Russia, and toward Turkey, the Gulf - and Washington. Syria's presidency said that Sharaa and Trump discussed the bilateral relationship, "the ways to strengthen and develop it, as well as a number of regional and international issues of common interest." After al Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, Trump announced he would lift all sanctions on Syria.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Syrian president al Sharaa at the White House

Syrian president al Sharaa at the White House

Syrian president, Mohammed al Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday (10 November). Trump met with Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, six months after the two first met in Saudi Arabia, and just days after Washington said that the Syrian leader, who once led an Al-Qaeda affiliate group, was no longer a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." Washington suspended the imposition of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria in part for 180 days, the Treasury Department said as the meeting took place. The move replaces a previous waiver enacted on 23 May, it said On Friday, the US lifted sanctions on Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, a day after the UN Security Council took the same step. Sharaa, 42, took power last year after his fighters launched a lightning offensive from their Idlib and overthrew longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad just days later on December 8. Syria's regional realignment has since moved  away from key allies of the former regime, Iran and Russia, and toward Turkey, the Gulf - and Washington. Syria's presidency said that Sharaa and Trump discussed the bilateral relationship, "the ways to strengthen and develop it, as well as a number of regional and international issues of common interest." After al Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, Trump announced he would lift all sanctions on Syria.