Foreign ministry gives details of Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday held a meeting in Paris with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer (USA), Igor Khovaev (Russia), and Brice Roquefueil (France), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informed.

The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be achieved only through peaceful means under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship on the basis of the principles and elements well-known to the sides.

The importance of the Co-Chairs’ visit to the region was underlined in the context of assessing the situation on the ground. During the meeting the sides emphasized the priority of implementing concrete steps towards the de-escalation of the situation in the region․ In this regard, Ararat Mirzoyan condemned the attacks on the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in casualties, as well as the consistent Armenophobic rhetoric.

Foreign Minister of Armenia and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs exchanged views on humanitarian issues that need to be urgently addressed. In this context, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative for immediate and unconditional repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, as well as clarification of the fate of missing persons and preservation of the Armenian historical-cultural heritage.

On the same day, with the mediation and participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian.

During the five-party meeting, the Foreign Minister of Armenia expressed the position of the Armenian side to fully resume the peace process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed the position expressed during the meeting with the Co-Chairs, including on the need for de-escalation of the situation and addressing the humanitarian issues, as well as the inadmissibility of provocations and Armenophobic rhetoric.