OSCE Secretary General concludes visits to the South Caucasus

ArmInfo. OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu concluded his first official visits to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, reaffirming the Organization's strong commitment to peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus. This was noted in a statement by the OSCE press service.  "This visit was an opportunity to underline the OSCE's strong  commitment to peace and stability in the region and our support to  address ongoing challenges," Sinirlioglu said.

In Armenia, Secretary General Sinirlioglu met with Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. In  Azerbaijan, he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and  Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

The OSCE stressed that in both Yerevan and Baku, Sinirlioglu welcomed  the respective efforts being made to ensure regional peace and  stability, expressing hope for the  signing of a peace agreement as  soon as possible.  "The news that the text of the peace agreement is  finalized is an inspiring development. OSCE stands ready to support  Armenia and Azerbaijan  as they continue on the road to sustainable  peace," he stated.  The Secretary General also visited the Baku  International Sea Trade Port, where opportunities for increased  cooperation in  transport and connectivity were discussed.

"Being a key hub along the Middle Corridor, which connects Europe and  Asia via multimodal transportation, the Port of Baku is one of the  beneficiaries of the OSCE project on "Promoting Green Ports and  Connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region", assisting seaports in the  Caspian Sea to promote sustainable transport connectivity, thus  contributing to economic growth in the OSCE region," the statement  continued.  In Georgia, Sinirlioglu met with President Mikheil  Kavelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Foreign Minister  Maka Bochorishvili. He also met with civil society and opposition  representatives.

Having visited the administrative boundary line, the Secretary  General underscored the OSCE's commitment to continue working with  international partners within the Geneva International Discussions  and the Incident Prevention Response Mechanism to address security  concerns and to seek  practical solutions to  problems faced by the  conflict-affected populations. "Stability in Georgia is vital both  for its people and for the wider region's security. I want to  reaffirm our willingness to support Georgia in addressing  internal  and external challenges,  and I want to encourage the Georgian  authorities to continue relying on  OSCE's expertise and support," he  noted.

Throughout his visit to the South Caucasus region, the Secretary  General highlighted how the OSCE's decades- long experience and  comprehensive approach to security can help normalize relations  across the region and contribute to wider regional stability and  peace. He underlined the importance of continued adherence to the  OSCE commitments.