Zakhrova Comments on Aliyev's Proposal

Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, commented today, December 25, on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's proposal to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group during a press briefing.

"You know, we have already commented on this, but considering that relevant statements have been made, let's return to this topic. I would just like to remind you that the Americans and the French, referring to their official delegations or their official representatives, special representatives, co-chairs of the Minsk Group, ceased communication with their Russian colleagues, Russian co-chairs, in February 2022," said Zakharova.

According to her, they took this step proactively. "With the cessation of these communications and as a result of the Armenia-Azerbaijan-European Union-France summit where Armenia recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, I remind you that this occurred in Prague on October 6, 2022, the resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh has lost its relevance. This began simply with the blockage of this format's work by the West. Then there were real-life changes that occurred. Therefore, all frameworks of the Minsk Conference, that is, the Minsk Conference, the Minsk Group, the high-level planning group, the position of the representative of the current presidency of the OSCE on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, are subject to dissolution. We believe that the optimal option to make a corresponding decision regarding this matter is a joint proposal from Baku and Yerevan to dissolve these structures," added the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.