Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Meet in NY

NEW YORK – On September 23rd a meeting took place between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan – Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mamedyarov, with the participation of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), Stefan Visconti (France), Andrew Schaefer (USA) and the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reported that the Ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the Artsakh peace process and assessed the current situation.

The Armenian Foreign Minister praised the activities of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

According to the report, during the discussion, the Armenian delegation emphasized the importance of consistent efforts to strengthen the ceasefire and reduce tension, including the introduction and strengthening of relevant defense mechanisms. The need for consistent steps toward creating an atmosphere of trust, through the implementation of the agreements reached earlier, was also discussed.

Regarding citizens of Armenia detained in the territory of Azerbaijan, the Armenian delegation raised the urgency of their return home.

From the point of view of advancing the peace process, Minister Mnatsakanyan noted the importance of ensuring the proportionality of the obligations of the parties in the framework of the settlement, confirming the principled position and approaches of Armenia in this process.

The parties outlined further steps in this direction, including the visit of the co-chairs to the region and the holding of the next meeting at the level of the Foreign Ministers in the near future, the official statement said.