Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries

BAKU/YEREVAN/MOSCOW, 14 December 2020 - The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) released the following statement today:

French Co-Chair Stephane Visconti and U.S. Co-Chair Andrew Schofer traveled to Baku 12 and 13 December and Yerevan 13 and 14 December. In Baku, they were received by President Aliyev and met with Foreign Minister Bayramov. In Yerevan, they were received by Prime Minister Pashinyan and met with Foreign Minister Aivazian. Due to Russian Co-Chair Igor Popov’s inability to travel, the Russian Federation was represented in Baku by Russian Ambassador Mikhail Bocharnikov and in Yerevan by Russian chargé d’affaires Alexei Sinegubov.  The Co-Chairs also met with representatives of the ICRC and UN agencies active in the region.  The Personal Representative of the Chairperson in Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in all meetings.

In both capitals, the sides provided their assessment of the situation on the ground and expressed their expectations on engagement with the Co-Chairs for the coming year.  Taking into account the new realities, the Co-Chairs affirmed their continuing commitment to engage constructively with the sides to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and to resolve outstanding issues.  The Co-Chairs also committed to providing concrete proposals on issues raised during the meetings for future discussions between the sides.