OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Call for Return of All Detainees and Protection of Historic and Cultural Sites

PARIS — The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, Igor Khovaev of the Russian Federation, and Brice Roquefeuil of France) released a statement today following their meetings with Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers.

“The Co-Chairs met separately in Paris with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on November 10. The Co-Chairs hosted both Foreign Ministers at a joint meeting, which was opened by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the meetings. 

The Co-Chairs and Foreign Ministers continued the discussions begun in New York on a number of possible de-escalatory measures and next steps in the process, including future meetings in this format and the Co-Chairs’ proposed visit to the region. The Co-Chairs and the Ministers also discussed the status of the implementation of the commitments made in the November 9 trilateral statement.

The Co-Chairs reiterated the importance of making progress on humanitarian issues — including, inter alia, detainees, demining, missing persons, voluntary return of displaced persons, and protection of historic and cultural sites — and called on the sides to provide unrestricted access to international humanitarian organizations. The Co-Chairs also stressed the importance of avoiding inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions.

The Co-Chairs met with representatives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Elysee on November 10 and 11 to discuss their ongoing efforts to help the sides find comprehensive solutions to all remaining issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with their mandate”.