Joint Statement by OSCE MG Co-Chair Countries and the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia

On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Kyiv, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Minister for European Affairs of France Thierry Repentin, Assistant Secretary of State  for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland) and the Foreign Minister  of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward  Nalbandian agreed to continue working together on a just and peaceful  resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis what has been  already achieved.

The Co-Chair Heads of Delegation welcomed the recent resumption of high-level dialogue between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and expressed  their hope that upcoming meetings will advance the peace process. They  encouraged the sides to consider measures that would reduce tensions in the  region.

The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to meet again in early  2014 under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, in order to facilitate  further talks at the highest level. The Ministers noted that the people of  the region expect and deserve progress in settlement of the conflict that has  endured far too long, and expressed their appreciation for the mediation role  of the Co-Chair countries. -02D-