Foreign Minister Mirzoyan Meets with Antony Blinken Sergei Lavrov and Laurence Boone on the Sidelines of OSCE Ministerial Conference in Skopje

SKOPJE – Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial conference in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Issues related to security and stability in the South Caucasus were discussed. Reference was made to the latest developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that despite the non-constructive attitude shown by Azerbaijan, the ethnic cleansing carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh and the existing humanitarian problems, the Republic of Armenia forwarded to Azerbaijan the proposals regarding the draft peace treaty in accordance with the well-known principles, and in case of the clear commitment of the latter, it will be possible to agree on make significant progress in this direction.

Reference was made to regional programs, in the context of which Minister Mirzoyan referred to the “Crossroads of Peace” project developed by the Armenian government, emphasizing the advantages expected as a result of its implementation.

During the meeting, the interlocutors referred to the Armenian-American bilateral agenda. Thoughts were exchanged on existing cooperation on bilateral and multilateral platforms and prospects for its expansion.

Mirzoyan-Lavrov Short Meeting

Ararat Mirzoyan  also had a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday for the first time in months amid unprecedented tensions between their countries.

The talks, described by the Russian Foreign Ministry as a “short conversation.”

The ministry said Lavrov and Mirzoyan discussed bilateral ties and the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. It reported no concrete understandings reached by them.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued an unusually short statement on the talks. It said only that Mirzoyan “once again presented the Armenian side’s positions regarding the Russian policy and the steps taken on bilateral and regional agendas.”

According to the Russian readout of the Skopje talks, Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to “vigorously” facilitate an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal based on understandings brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ararat Mirzoyan- Laurence Boone

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe of the French Republic.

During the meeting, issues on the agenda of the political dialogue between the two countries and practical cooperation in key areas were discussed.

The interlocutors exchanged views on issues of regional security and stability, as well as on existing challenges. The steps taken towards the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were also touched upon. Minister Mirzoyan stressed that in order to use the opportunity to go ahead with the process of normalization, last week Armenia sent to Azerbaijan the package of proposals on the draft peace treaty.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Minister of State for Europe of France exchanged views on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda as well as on prospects for cooperation on multilateral platforms.

Mirzoyan had an exchange with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron. On the sidelines of the OSCE 30th Ministerial Council in Skopje.

The interlocutors exchanged views on bilateral relations, the recently launched Armenia-UK Strategic Dialogue.

They touched upon regional topics, developments in South Caucasus.