Thursday, January 18 2018 11:44

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian arrived in Krakow on January 17 to meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov, Stefan Visconti, Andrew Chaufer, as well as with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

As the press service of the Foreign Ministry reports, Edward Nalbandian thanked the co-chairs for the initiative to organize the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan and stressed that the Armenian side, as always, participates in all meetings with a constructive spirit. Minister Nalbandian stressed that Armenia, together with the co-chairing countries, will continue to search for ways to implement the agreements reached at the summits in Vienna, St. Petersburg and Geneva, as well as the proposals of the co-chairs aimed at creating the necessary conditions for the advancement of the negotiations, which, in particular, tension in the conflict zone, strict adherence to the trilateral ceasefire agreements of 1994-1995, expansion of the monitoring capabilities of the Office of the Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office of the UFS and the creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia noted that if Baku follows the appeals of the co-chairs to strictly observe the cease-fire regime, will implement the earlier agreements, participate constructively in the negotiation process, confirm its commitment to the principles of the conflict settlement proposed by the co-chairs, then it will be possible to pave the way for the advancement of the peace process.

"Baku often says that it is supposedly interested in changing the status quo, and it is obvious that the practical way to achieve this is to implement the above." The co-chairs have for many years declared that the principles and elements that they propose to stage the phased implementation of the package settlement are one and attempts to give priority to one of them in relation to others will make the settlement impossible. The earlier Baku realizes this reality, the sooner it will be possible to direct the settlement process to practical channel, "stressed Minister Nalbandian. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stressed that recent statements by Azerbaijani officials on the preservation of cultural heritage can only cause confusion, because it is Azerbaijan that for years has consistently destroyed Armenian monuments, while refusing to let international fact-finding missions to Jugha and other places. On the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, on January 18, a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov will be held in Krakow.