Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
VIENNA, 29 March 2019 - The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met today in Vienna for the first time under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America).
The meeting was also attended by Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov. Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, also participated in the meeting.
The meeting took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and provided an opportunity for the two leaders to clarify their respective positions. They exchanged views about several key issues of the settlement process and ideas of substance.
The two leaders underlined the importance of building up an environment conducive to peace and taking further concrete and tangible steps in the negotiation process to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Recalling their conversation in Dushanbe, the leaders recommitted to strengthening the ceasefire and improving the mechanism for direct communication. They also agreed to develop a number of measures in the humanitarian field.
The Prime Minister and President instructed their Ministers to meet with the Co‑Chairs again in the near future. They also agreed to continue their direct dialogue.-0-
Politics
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On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals reviewed the appeal of human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who contested the extension of his detention. Mammadli's lawyer, Javad Javadov, stated that Mammadli argued the extension of his pre-trial detention was unfounded and linked the criminal prosecution to his human rights activities, Turan reported.
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On November 26, a group of reserve officers from the Nakhchivan special forces held a protest near the Azerbaijani presidential administration. The protesters participated in the 44-day war and were discharged after sustaining injuries. They claim that the payments they are entitled to have not been provided.
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On November 26, the Baku Court of Appeals heard a complaint regarding the extension of the detention of former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov. During the hearing, the investigator requested that the complaint be rejected, while Ibrahimov's lawyer, Aghil Laidj, pointed out the lack of grounds for keeping Ibrahimov in custody.
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Arrested economist Fazil Gasimov has reportedly faced pressure after protesting the interruption of a phone call with his family on November 16. "The phone call was cut off, and Fazil demanded that the connection be restored. Then, Jalal Alizadeh, a detention center officer, along with his colleagues, forcibly removed Fazil from the phone room in the medical unit of the facility, tearing his jacket and dragging him across the floor before throwing him into a cell.
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