OSCE MG encouraged with constructive approach of Armenian and Azeri leaders

PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs issued a joint statement upon the outcomes of their regional visit. The statement says, "After four days of meetings, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassador Yuri Merzylakov - Russian Federation; Ambassador Bernard Fassier - France; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza - United States) are encouraged by the constructive approach of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they seek to finalize a set of basic principles for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.



Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov for talks facilitated by the Co-Chairs in Moscow on Tuesday, January 23. The Co-Chairs met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday, January 24. On Thursday, January 25, they traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh to meet with NK leader Arkady Ghukasian. They met with Armenian President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan on Friday, January 26.



The Co-Chairs appreciate the efforts of all the interlocutors they met during the week. It is the responsibility of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the assistance of the Co-Chairs, to find a lasting, peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The presidents are defending their national interests vigorously, and they are doing so in a way that allows the peace process to continue moving forward."



The Co-Chairs urge all parties to sustain this momentum in the negotiations and to prepare their publics for the necessary compromises. At the same time, the Co-Chairs urge continued pursuit of confidence-building measures and maintenance of the ceasefire to increase the level of trust and understanding between the sides.