Armenia, Azerbaijan reaffirm commitment to Artsakh peace process

On April 15, Moscow hosted a working meeting of Foreign Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Sergei Lavrov, Elmar Mammadyarov and Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who were joined by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Andrew Shofer (US), Stefan Visconti ), as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Artsakh Republic Andrzej Kasprzyk.

As a follow-up to the agreements reached by President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan at their summit in Vienna on 29 March of this year, the participants in the meeting discussed the situation at the border and the line of contact, as well as the prospects for establishing humanitarian co-operation. They also exchanged detailed views on key aspects of the settlement process.

The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia reaffirmed the intention of the parties to continue their efforts to resolve the Artsakh conflict through political and diplomatic means. The Ministers emphasized their interest in further stabilization of the situation in the conflict zone, in particular during agricultural activities. They also agreed to take measures, on a mutual basis, to allow families to have access to their relatives held in custody in the respective detention centers of the parties. The Ministers expressed their willingness to start concrete work on establishing contacts between people, including through mutual visits of media representatives.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group reiterated their commitment to the mediation mission aimed at achieving a sustainable peace in the region. The participants of the meeting agreed to continue their contacts in the near future.