Zakharova does not see possibility of resuming the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group

YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that she does not see the possibility of resuming the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group.

"Our position on the OSCE Minsk Group remains unchanged. It was the American and French co-chairs who simply ceased their work within it. Armenia recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan at the Prague summit on October 6, 2022," Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

According to her, in addition to all other factors, the situation on the ground changed dramatically in September 2023, and, consequently, the mandate of the Minsk Group co-chairs on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, as approved by the OSCE, has simply lost its relevance.

"The optimal solution would be a joint proposal by Baku and Yerevan to dissolve these institutions," Zakharova said.

Earlier, the Armenian Foreign Ministry commented on Azerbaijan's demands to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group. "The Republic of Armenia has declared at the highest level its readiness to consider the issue of dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group. Armenia simply wants to be assured that this means the actual and legal end of the conflict, and not its transfer to the territory of the Republic of Armenia under the so-called 'Western Azerbaijan' discourse," said Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan.