France is ready to serve as a platform for fresh negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, June 29.

“We discussed the situation in Karabakh,” Ayrault said.

“Sergey Lavrov briefed me on the outcome of the meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents. I reminded that we are ready to provide a platform for renewed talks.”

OCSE Chairman-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is due to arrive in Armenia on Wednesday.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they have agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding.

Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.