The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in the presence of international mediators in Paris on Monday to discuss the latest deadly fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and the future of the stalled peace process.
In a joint statement, the U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group said the talks took place “in a positive, constructive atmosphere” but announced no concrete agreements.
“The Co-Chairs discussed with the Ministers the way forward on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as further work on development of humanitarian contacts and the creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations, and preservation of sites of historic and cultural value,” said the statement.
“The Co-Chairs also reiterated deep concern over recent incidents along the front lines and stressed the need to respect the 1994 ceasefire agreement,” it said. “The Foreign Ministers expressed their determination to continue working with the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement, and their readiness to carry out confidence-building measures that could improve the atmosphere for negotiations.”
The statement did not specify whether they presented Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian and Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov with new proposals to help the conflicting parties bridge their differences on the Basic Principles of a Karabakh settlement put forward by the mediators.
The Paris talks came two weeks after at least nine Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers were shot dead in truce violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Karabakh. Baku and Yerevan have blamed each other for the deadly incidents amid mounting international concerns about a renewed war for the disputed territory.
In a joint statement, the U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group said the talks took place “in a positive, constructive atmosphere” but announced no concrete agreements.
“The Co-Chairs discussed with the Ministers the way forward on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as further work on development of humanitarian contacts and the creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations, and preservation of sites of historic and cultural value,” said the statement.
“The Co-Chairs also reiterated deep concern over recent incidents along the front lines and stressed the need to respect the 1994 ceasefire agreement,” it said. “The Foreign Ministers expressed their determination to continue working with the Co-Chairs to reach a peaceful settlement, and their readiness to carry out confidence-building measures that could improve the atmosphere for negotiations.”
The statement did not specify whether they presented Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian and Azerbaijan’s Elmar Mammadyarov with new proposals to help the conflicting parties bridge their differences on the Basic Principles of a Karabakh settlement put forward by the mediators.
The Paris talks came two weeks after at least nine Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers were shot dead in truce violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Karabakh. Baku and Yerevan have blamed each other for the deadly incidents amid mounting international concerns about a renewed war for the disputed territory.