Minsk Group Discusses Preparations for Paris Meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani Presidents

NEW YORK — The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) met with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov this week at the United Nations General Assembly. The Co-Chairs were joined by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

In a joint meeting, the Co-Chairs and the Foreign Ministers discussed preparations for the upcoming summit at the end of October in Paris. At the summit, the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan plan to continue their dialogue on key elements of a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Co-Chairs expressed their hope that the Presidents would hold productive discussions to make progress towards a lasting settlement. Ambassador Andrieu briefed participants on issues that could be included on the summit agenda. The Co-Chairs intend to travel to the region soon.

The Co-Chairs also met with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) Didier Burkhalter to discuss the latest developments in the peace process. They provided the CiO a readout of the Presidents’ recent meetings in Sochi and Wales, and informed him of preparations for the Paris summit.