They Buried This Format as an International Platform: Zakharova on Steps by France and the USA

The USA and France have halted the work of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairs in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated today by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing, when asked why Moscow, Paris, and Washington cannot work together towards resolution.

“The assessment has already been given by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including regarding the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group. As co-chairs, Washington and Paris refused to cooperate with Moscow under fictitious pretexts in February of this year. They also buried this format as an international platform,” Zakharova added.

According to her, discussions in Geneva regarding security and stability in the South Caucasus have not been exempt from the context of disrupted cooperation between Russia and the West. Zakharova noted that the 56th round of negotiations took place after a nine-month hiatus, with the next round scheduled for December of this year, but it has been postponed to February 2023.

It should be recalled that in April, Lavrov stated that he did not know what the future of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with conflict resolution, would be. According to him, the reason is the positions of the USA and France, which have refused to cooperate with Russia in this format. Meanwhile, in mid-November, American mediator Philip Reeker confirmed that the OSCE Minsk Group is effectively not functioning.