Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer (USA), Igor Khovaev (Russia), and Brice Roquefueil (France) met in Paris on November 10 and discussed issues on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Mirzoyan, according to a statement released by his office, told the co-chairs that a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be achieved only through peaceful means under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

He urged the Co-Chairs to visit the region to assess the situation.

The parties emphasized the priority of implementing concrete steps towards the de-escalation of the situation in the region․ In this context, Mirzoyan condemned Azerbaijani attacks on the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and Baku’s consistent Armenophobic rhetoric.

Mirzoyan and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs exchanged views on humanitarian issues that need to be urgently addressed.

Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the immediate and unconditional repatriation of the Armenian POWs, hostages and other detained persons, as well as clarification of the fate of missing persons and preservation of the Armenian historical-cultural heritage.

On the same day, with the mediation and participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan was hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian.

(Top photo shows Minsk Group Co-Chair Igor Khovaev and Armenian FM Mirzoyan at a September 6, 2021 meeting in Yerevan.)