The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia accepted the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' proposal to meet soon under their auspices, according to the statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the U.S.) met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan February 20 and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku February 21 to discuss preparations for a meeting of the leaders in the near future, including possible topics for discussion, according to the statement.
"The co-chairs also held discussions with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in their respective capitals. The co-chairs were joined by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. During the meetings in the region, the leaders briefed the Co-Chairs on their recent conversation on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. The leaders and the co-chairs discussed the situation on the ground and their expectations for next steps," the statement reads.
It was added that the co-chairs assessed positively the continuing lack of casualties on the line of contact, as well as welcomed the developing discussions in the region about preparing populations for peace.
"The leaders accepted the Minsk Group co-chairs’ proposal to meet soon under their auspices. Following their visit to the region, the co-chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office travelled to Vienna and Bratislava from Feb. 28 to March 1 to brief the Permanent Representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group countries, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak,"the statement says.
