The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France made a statement on the recent June 24 Presidential meeting in Kazan on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The meeting in Kazan identified or confirmed several points of understanding, enabling to continue negotiations on the present basis for the subsequent adoption of the principles of settlement proposed by the mediators. The result is not negligible, France, with its partners in the U.S. and Russian co-chairs of the Minsk Group, will spare no efforts to assist all parties in the pursuit of negotiations. The French co-chair and American and Russian colleagues, who have already met extensively with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Kazan, will visit Yerevan, Baku and Nagorno-Karabakh in coming weeks to prepare continuation of negotiations,” the statement runs.

The summit between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Kazan on June 24 completed without an agreement on basic principles of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. “The countries’ leaders registered mutual understanding on a range of problems, the resolution of which boosts creation of conditions for approving main principles. The meeting participants considered the course of works carried out with the aim of coordination of the project with basic principles,” according to the statement. The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed gratitude to the Russian, French and U.S. leaders, the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, for ‘their constant attention to Nagorno-Karabakh problem’ and highly praised personal efforts of the Russian President in support of agreements.

Later on Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbanian noted that the June 24 meeting was not a breakthrough, as Azerbaijan proved unready to accept the final version of the basic principles suggested by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs. Instead, the Azerbaijani leader attempted to impose 10 new proposals, thus precluding the possibility of any agreement on the issue,” he added.