OSCE MG Co-Chairs on Results of Meeting in Paris

Baku / 16.01.19 / Turan: The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on the need to take concrete measures to prepare the population for peace, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said in a statement following a meeting of the two Ministers in Paris on Wednesday.

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Igor Popov from Russia, Stefan Visconti from France and Andrew Schofer from the USA) held consultations with Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Paris on January 16.

The co-chairs held a separate meeting, and then met with the Ministers.

The statement noted that the Secretary of State under the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France summed up the talks.

"The co-chairs were received at the Elysée Palace, where they informed the chief diplomatic advisers to President Emmanuel Macron. The participants expressed their appreciation to the Ministers for the continued efforts of the parties to maintain an environment conducive to intensive negotiations focused on results.

The Ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and agreed on the need to take concrete measures to prepare the population for peace," the statement says.

During the meetings, the co-chairs discussed with the Ministers the basic principles and parameters for the current stage of the negotiations, as well as steps for a possible meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to give a strong impetus to the negotiations.

"The co-chairs stressed the importance of possible mutually beneficial initiatives aimed at realizing the economic potential of the region.

The co-chairs are planning to meet with the leaders of the two countries in the near future," the statement says. -0-