EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES
YEREVAN, ARMENIA

Statement of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
Baku/Yerevan – January 29, 2007
After four days of meetings, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassador Yuri
Merzylakov – Russian Federation; Ambassador Bernard Fassier – France; Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza – United States) are encouraged
by the constructive approach of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as
they seek to finalize a set of basic principles for the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
for talks facilitated by the Co-Chairs in Moscow on Tuesday, January 23. The
Co-Chairs met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Wednesday,
January 24. On Thursday, January 25, they traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh to
meet with NK leader Arkady Ghukasian. They met with Armenian President
Robert Kocharian in Yerevan on Friday, January 26.
The Co-Chairs appreciate the efforts of all the interlocutors they met
during the week. It is the responsibility of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, with the assistance of the Co-Chairs, to find a lasting,
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The presidents are
defending their national interests vigorously, and they are doing so in a
way that allows the peace process to continue moving forward.
The Co-Chairs urge all parties to sustain this momentum in the negotiations
and to prepare their publics for the necessary compromises. At the same
time, the Co-Chairs urge continued pursuit of confidence-building measures
and maintenance of the ceasefire to increase the level of trust and
understanding between the sides.