Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, by telephone yesterday, discussed developments in the region following the joint statement of November 10 made by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of the Russian Federation on the establishment of a ceasefire and deployment of the Russian peacekeepers.

Minister Mnatsakanyan stressed the need to hold discussions on all issues concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process exclusively within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

According to a statement released by Mnatsakanyan’s office, the UN Secretary-General reiterated his support for the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh resulting from the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression and the measures undertaken by the authorities of Artsakh and Armenia to address this crisis. The sides also touched upon the involvement of the UN and relevant bodies in addressing the situation resulting from the humanitarian crisis.

Mnatsakanyan stressed the need to protect and restore the rights of the displaced Armenians of Artsakh and the important role of the UN in this process, within the framework of its international mandate entrusted upon the latter.

Both sides highlighted the importance of preserving the Armenian historical and cultural heritage in Artsakh threatened because of the Azerbaijani occupation.