Pashinyan and French co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group discussed situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, April 15. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received on Thursday French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Brice Roquefeuil, the government press office said.

It said Pashinyan emphasized the role of France as a Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, welcomed Mr. Roquefeuil’s visit, which he said will give an opportunity to discuss the situation and the processes taking place in Artsakh.

The interlocutors stressed the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ format in the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The sides touched upon humanitarian issues, as well as the possibility of holding negotiations on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. In this regard, the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the mediating role of the Co-Chair countries was underlined.

The French diplomat arrived in Armenia after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow on April 8 'that the United States and France in a Russophobe frenzy have cancelled the co-chairing troika of the OSCE Minsk Group,’ saying also that they will not be communicating with Russia in this format.”

He added: “If they are ready to sacrifice the interests -- in this case of the Armenian side -- of settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh and the South Caucasus as a whole, it’s their choice.”

In a related development, the US Department of State urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify their diplomatic contacts and continue to use direct communication mechanisms to find comprehensive solutions to all issues related to or arising from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to normalize relations through the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement.

The State Department said also that "the U.S. stands ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan in these initiatives, including through our capabilities within the OSCE Minsk Group." -0-