International Involvement Possible Only with Consent of Baku and Yerevan: Foreign Ministers of Russia, Germany, and France Discuss

The French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. They discussed the situation in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, as reported by the Interfax news agency.

The topics of discussion included the situation at the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and around Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the implementation of the provisions from the statements made by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021.

“The importance of strictly adhering to the ceasefire regime and the necessity of political-diplomatic solutions to emerging disagreements were emphasized. The ministers reaffirmed the role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the statement read.

The Russian side noted that “any involvement of international organizations is possible only with the consent of Baku and Yerevan.”

The French Foreign Ministry reported that Jean-Yves Le Drian, during the conversation regarding the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, “noted France's efforts to reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” The minister stated that France is ready to continue cooperation with Russia on this matter, as both countries, along with the U.S., are co-chairs of the Minsk Group.