I think that the process will continue in the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing format. Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan said this during the Parliament-Government question-and-answer session, responding to the question of the deputy of the Civil Contract faction Anush Beghloyan on the works with the OSCE Minsk Group.
“We are in the closest and most frequent contact with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The visit of the co-chairs to the region has been planned for a long time, presumably, there is strong pressure from the Azerbaijani side to prevent the happening of that visit. Our conviction is that the co-chairs and the co-chairing countries should not give in to the pressure of the Azerbaijani side. That visit, nevertheless, should take place,” he said, reminding that the visit was scheduled for September, then moved to November, and then to mid-January.
“You know that the visit did not take place during the mentioned months. Now it seems that the co-chairs are trying to set more specific dates, and finally pay that visit,” the Minister said.
Mirzoyan reminded that the recent meeting between him and the three OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs was in Stockholm.
“You also know that a meeting was scheduled between the three co-chairs of the ‘3 + 2’ format, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and at the last moment, literally an hour or two before the meeting, we received information that Azerbaijan refuses to participate in that meeting, with a certain excuse. But I want to say that at that moment the agenda was quite tangible, it offered to continue the negotiations, was already quite tangible, and we could talk about the full resumption of the peace process. Sooner or later, Azerbaijan must continue the peace process in this fomat,” he said.
