Preparing Armenian and Azerbaijani Peoples for Peace: OSCE

During the OSCE Ministerial Council in Milan, acting Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov, and the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group issued a joint statement expressing their readiness to continue working towards the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The co-chairing countries welcomed the significant decrease in incidents of ceasefire violations along the front lines and reported losses, which followed the conversation between Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Dushanbe,” the statement noted.

They urged both sides to continue implementing the agreements reached and to take measures to prepare their respective peoples for peace.

The co-chairing countries also expressed hope that the intensive dialogue between the parties could lead to a resolution of the issue in the near future.

It was mentioned that Mnatsakanyan and Mamedyarov reaffirmed their readiness to carry out intensive work towards reducing tensions and peacefully resolving the issue.

“The heads of the foreign ministries of the countries agreed to meet in early 2019 and continue high-level negotiations. They appreciated the significant efforts made by the co-chairing countries, as well as the activities of the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office,” the statement added.

On December 5, in Milan, during the OSCE Ministerial Council, Armenian acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov.