OSCE MG co-chairs issue joint statement following Mammadyarov-Mnatsakanyan meeting

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group issued a joint statement following the meeting of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on the margins of the UN General Assembly, OSCE reported.

According to the statement, 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) met separately and jointly with Mammadyarov and Mnatsakanyan on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Co-Chairs were joined in their meetings by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. They also met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, and senior officials of the United Nations.

The statement said that the Co-Chairs briefed the two Ministers on their activities since the joint meeting in Washington in June, including recent consultations in Paris and Geneva on the humanitarian and security dimensions of the conflict.

"The Co-Chairs noted the positive effects of the sides' efforts to minimize violence during the summer period, including the use of the existing direct communication links, and expressed deep regret over the recent fatality," it was noted.

"The Co-Chairs and the Ministers continued their discussion of additional measures to reduce tensions and sustain an atmosphere conducive to peace and favorable to substantive talks," the statement reads.

The Co-Chairs added that they intend to visit the region in the near future.