Minsk Group closure removes major OSCE budget hurdle

PanARMENIAN.Net - OSCE Chair-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has noted positive developments in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

She also stated that dissolving the Minsk Group and its related structures will help eliminate a key obstacle to approving the OSCE budget, Armenpress reports.

“In the South Caucasus, I witnessed positive progress in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In August, we reached consensus on closing the Minsk Group's structures, which were engaged in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Valtonen said.

The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 to assist in resolving the Azerbaijan–Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Its co-chairs were Russia, the U.S., and France.

On August 8, 2025, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a joint statement in Washington addressed to the OSCE, formally requesting the termination of the Minsk Group’s activities. As of December 1, 2025, the format has been fully dissolved.