Nalbandyan Meets with OSCE Minsk Group

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan

During a working visit to Munich on February 5, Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Edward Nalbandyan met with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick of the United States, Pierre Andrieu of France, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The discussion centered on the Karabakh conflict peace process. Nalbandyan spoke about the dangerous increase in tensions along the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border in recent months. He underscored that the Azerbaijani side had violated the ceasefire regime over 3000 times resulting in material and human (both military and civilian) loss on both sides. There has also been an increase of commando raids by special units of the Azerbaijani military attempting incursions into Armenian territories.

Nalbandyan said, “The Azerbaijani leadership is flagrantly disregarding calls by the international community and through its reckless policy and provocative actions is further exacerbating the situation, and hampering the peace process.”

The Armenian foreign minister reiterated that Armenia will continue cooperating with the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to ensure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

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Since the beginning of 2015, there have been a number of bloody clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border and the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact resulting in a number of casualties for both sides.

On January 27, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs met with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. During that meeting, the Co-Chairs called on Azerbaijan to adhere to the ceasefire regime and desist from further provocative actions. The statement by the Co-Chairs following that meeting read:  “The rise in violence that began last year must stop for confidence to be restored and progress to be made in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.  We called on Azerbaijan to observe its commitments to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.  We also call on Armenia to take all measures to reduce tensions.  All sides must abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement.  Violence undermines efforts to bring about peace.”