On the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan held today talks at the residence of Switzerland’s Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations.
The talks were attended by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Edward Nalbandyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, as well as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Andrew Schofer (USA), Stefan Visconti (France) and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev held a private meeting following the talks. They discussed the possibilities of advancing the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As a result of the talks, the Presidents agreed to take measures to intensify the negotiation process and to take additional steps to reduce tensions on the Line of Contact.
The Co-Chairs expressed their satisfaction with these direct talks, which took place after a long interval. They remain ready to work with the sides on mediating a peacefully negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs made a joint statement on the results of the negotiations.
At the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Geneva, the Swiss Confederation, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the representatives of the Armenian community in Switzerland. In his introductory speech, President Sargsyan presented the results of the talks with the President of Azerbaijan.
“The meeting with the President of Azerbaijan ended a few minutes ago. It can be stated that no specific arrangements have been made about the settlement options. But we have agreed to take measures to ease the tension so that we do not have losses in the front line.
I must say that both the President of Azerbaijan and I are deeply concerned about it. May God have him always think so. He, too, understands the complexity of the problem just as I do, of course, but the problem is such that there will never be an easy solution. However, I wish to assure you that we do not see any such solution as may undermine Karabakh’s security in a way or another.
The only solution acceptable for us is that Karabakh be outside Azerbaijan. Never can any Armenian leader accept and implement other solution whatsoever, and for that reason, we will do our utmost to develop Armenia by strengthening our country’s economy,” the President of Armenia said.
