Russia Changes Its Co-Chair in the OSCE Minsk Group

Russia has changed its co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group. Igor Popov has been replaced by 59-year-old Igor Khovaev.

Khovaev served as the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines from 2015 to 2020.

Igor Popov was the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group since 2010.

It is worth recalling that earlier, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group made the following statement: “The co-chairs are concerned about the recent incidents on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, including reports of casualties and human losses. The co-chairs urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately de-escalate the situation, refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, and fully fulfill their commitments in accordance with the November 9, 2020 declaration and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements.”

The co-chairs again emphasize the necessity of a coordinated, comprehensive, and sustainable resolution to the conflict and call on the parties to return as soon as possible to negotiations under the auspices of the co-chairs. They reaffirm their proposal to organize direct bilateral consultations under their auspices so that the parties can jointly discuss and agree on a structured agenda that reflects their priorities without preconditions. The co-chairs reaffirm their strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and his team,” the statement said.