OSCE Chairperson meets Minsk Group Co-Chairs on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, met the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, on 5 February 2013 to discuss the progress towards settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The talks focused on the Co-Chairs’ meeting last week in Paris with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, where they discussed a proposal to advance the peace process they had submitted to the sides late last year and views on possible confidence building measures.

Minister Kozhara expressed full support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at strengthening the ceasefire and helping the sides negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “It is a priority of Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship to work with the parties to advance this process to the extent possible, and I urge the sides to show the commitment and political will needed to finally bring peace to this region” said the OSCE Chairperson.