The troika of international mediators advancing peace efforts to resolve the protracted Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh paid a visit to Yerevan on Monday.
While in the Armenian capital the American, Russian and French co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group –Andrew Schofer, Igor Popov and Stephane Visconti – met with the country’s political leadership, including acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, acting Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian and acting Defense Minister David Tonoyan.
During the meetings the Armenian officials and the Minsk Group co-chairs, who were accompanied by the OSCE president-in-office’s personal representative Andrzej Kasprzyk, in particular, addressed the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on the margins of a summit of post-Soviet leaders in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in late September.
Acting Armenian Prime Minister Pashinian and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs addressed “the dynamics of the Karabakh peace process after the latest political changes in Armenia,” according to the press office of the acting head of the Armenian government.
“The sides exchanged views on the meeting between the Armenian prime minister and the president of Azerbaijan that took place in Dushanbe in late September as well as agreements reached during that meeting. Nikol Pashinian attached importance to sticking to the agreements and implementing them effectively, which will promote the formation of mutual trust and a corresponding atmosphere for the peace process. The sides outlined future possible steps,” the statement issued by Pashinian’s office said.
During a separate meeting Armenian Defense Minister Tonoyan briefed the Minsk Group co-chairs on the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijan state border and along the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, according to an official report.
“Stressing the importance of the agreement reached between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Dushanbe about the launching of operational communications, the Armenian defense minister expressed a hope that the co-chair countries would make efforts to establish and launch communications based on the example of the communication between the parties in the Nakhijevan direction, also in other operational areas,” the report said.
Stressing that the Armenian armed forces are “closely monitoring the situation and control any movements”, Tonoyan said that “in the current conditions, unconditional adherence to the ceasefire between the parties, the implementation of measures aimed at reducing risks and preventing incidents are of key importance.”
For his part, Armenian Foreign Minister Mnatsakanian stressed at his meeting with the international mediators that the practical application of the agreements reached between Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is aimed at “forming and promoting an atmosphere of peace.” He stressed that the need for “rejecting militarist and unconstructive policy” remains urgent.
The sides reportedly discussed further steps of the co-chairs. In this regard, Mnatsakanian stressed that it will be possible to assess further steps “more comprehensively” after the mediators visit Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, the report said.
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