The foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Russia and the United States are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) later in the week, which may result in a joint statement regarding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday
BAKU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2019) The foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Russia and the United States are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) later in the week, which may result in a joint statement regarding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.The 26th OSCE Ministerial Council will convene in the Slovak capital of Bratislava from Thursday to Friday. On Wednesday, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov, are scheduled to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the event.
"In addition to the meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two ministers will have another meeting with the ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Bratislava. This contact is in the pipeline," Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with Mammadyarov.
He added that the council wanted to put the principles agreed upon years ago on paper.
"If it works out, we would like to adopt a five-party statement by the two ministers and three co-chairs. If for some reason it becomes impossible, the three co-chairs will probably ink their position on paper anyways, but I hope there will be a five-party statement," Lavrov added.
The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1994 to promote the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. It is co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States, and includes permanent members Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey. The interests of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are represented by Armenia.
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1991 when this predominantly Armenian autonomy proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan, citing its right to self-determination under Soviet law. Baku launched an offensive and lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh. There was a major escalation in April 2016, but armed hostilities have otherwise remained generally dormant.
