US Co-chair Of OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer Discusses Karabakh Issue With PM Pashinyan

YEREVAN — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received today the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer, the government press office reported.

It said Pashinyan emphasized the role of the United States as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair country, welcomed the visit of Andrew Schofer, which will provide an opportunity to discuss the situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the processes taking place in this context.

The interlocutors stressed the role of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ format in the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The sides also touched upon humanitarian issues, as well as the possibility of starting negotiations with Azerbaijan on a peace treaty. In this regard, the Prime Minister stressed the mediating role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ format and the co-chairing countries.

Schofer earlier today had meetings with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan. He stressed that the United States remains committed to its mandate within the OSCE Minsk Group.

The State Department said also that “the U.S. stands ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan in these initiatives, including through our capabilities within the OSCE Minsk Group.”

Last week, the French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Brice Roquefeuil, visited Armenia and had meetings with Armenia’s leadership.

The French and U.S. co-chairs’ visits to Armenia come after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on April 8 ‘that the United States and France in a Russophobe frenzy have cancelled the co-chairing troika of the OSCE Minsk Group,’ saying also that they will not be communicating with Russia in this format.”

He added: “If they are ready to sacrifice the interests — in this case of the Armenian side — of settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh and the South Caucasus as a whole, it’s their choice.”