Armenian Foreign Minister, Minsk Group Co-chairs Meet in Munich

MUNICH — On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, Pierre Andrieu and James Warlick and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The parties continued the discussions on the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian Foreign Minister drew the attention of the Co-Chairs to the ceasefire violations along the Armenian border and the line of contact with Artsakh, as well as the increased number of subversive acts, stressing that the Azeri forces violated the ceasefire over 3,000 times in the past week, which resulted in human losses.

“The Azerbaijani authorities ignore the targeted calls of the international community and further aggravate the situation with provocative actions, thus hampering the settlement process,” Minister Nalbandian underscored.

Edward Nalbandian reiterated Armenia’s willingness to continue to work jointly with the co-chairing countries towards the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued a press statement following the meeting with Nalbandian:

“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 Foreign
Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian 5 February in Munich. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson­in­Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meeting.

We noted with alarm the rising number of incidents along the Line of Contact and Armenia­Azerbaijan border, including in civilian areas.

We also discussed with the Minister proposed measures to reduce the likelihood of such incidents. In particular, it is imperative for the sides to take steps to prevent a repeat of the November 12 helicopter downing. The violence and tensions between the sides underscore the necessity of starting comprehensive negotiations as soon as possible to reach a lasting settlement.

We urged the Minister to show more flexibility so such negotiations can begin. We raised the importance of implementing the Presidents’ agreement now to exchange data on missing persons under the aegis of the ICRC. This data exchange can build trust between the sides and facilitate the reconciliation process.

In addition, we called for the resumption of presidential dialogue at the earliest opportunity. The Co­-Chairs will travel to the region later this month.”