Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Khovaev of Russia, Brice Roquefeuil of France and Andrew Chaffer of the United States in Stockholm on Friday. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also took part in the meeting.

During the meeting, the importance of fully expanding the peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and under its mandate was stressed, according to a statement issued by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.

Mirzoyan told the co-chairs that the continuous belligerent rhetoric of the Azerbaijani leadership and aggressive actions are unacceptable, highlighting the need for taking concrete steps to reduce tensions in Nagorno Karabakh and the region.

The foreign minister considered it necessary to resolve humanitarian issues immediately, in particular, the immediate return of prisoners of war and other detainees, the documentation of cases of enforced disappearances, the preservation of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control, the creation of opportunities for international organizations to operate in Nagorno Karabakh.

Mirzoyan offered Yerevan’s commitment to continue working within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ mandate for a comprehensive, lasting settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict based on the well-known principles and elements.

On Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries adopted a statement on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“Within the framework of the OSCE, the Foreign Ministers of Russia, the United States and France, as OSCE Co-Chairs, adopted a statement on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, praising Russia’s mediation efforts, inter alia. Of course, we would like to see more results of this session, including a political declaration, which has failed to be adopted for 10 years,” Lavrov said, adding that parties have attempted to add minor issues into the declaration.