French Embassy to RA refutes reports on appointment of Serge Smessov as OSCE MG Co-chair![]() May 18, 2010 - 12:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The French Embassy to Armenia has refuted reports on appointment of Serge Smessov as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair. “The information is untrue,” the Embassy's press office told a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent. On May 17, the Azeri Press Agency circulated a report that France will replace its current Co-chair Bernard Fassier by Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessov. ![]() ![]() The OSCE Minsk Group The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Minsk Group is headed by a Co-Chairmanship consisting of France, Russia and the United States. The main objectives of the Minsk Process are as follows: Providing an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process supported by the Minsk Group; Obtaining conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference; Promoting the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces. ![]() ![]() Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. ![]() ![]() Partner news | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |