In the period between 13-14 December, the US and French OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Andrew Schofer and Stephane Visconti, conducted their first official visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan since the beginning of the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh war. The Russian co-chair, Igor Popov, did not join his French and US counterparts. Moscow officials gave no reason for Popov’s absence.
While visiting Armenia, the two co-chairs met with the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan. Pashinyan deemed it necessary to resume negotiations within the framework of the co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group with the aim of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He emphasised the priority of clarifying the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, taking into account the importance of the right of the Karabakh people to exercise their right to self-determination, the return of Armenian control over territories that were handed over to Azerbaijan, creating conditions for the safe return of Karabakh Armenians to their homes and the protection of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. The same topics were discussed with Ayvazyan.
The co-chairs encountered a more critical reception in Baku when meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. “I am listening to you, because it was your idea to come here. In front of the cameras, I want to repeat, I have not invited you here, but once you have arrived, speak in front of the cameras. If you don't want to speak in front of the cameras, they will leave,” stated Aliyev to the co-chairs.
“10 years ago, the presidents of the Minsk Group countries made a statement on the settlement and the need to change the status quo, but in reality, they did so that nothing would change. However, we proved that the status quo can be changed by force of arms, our army and our people, and proved that we are right. Thanks to this, the Armenians signed the act of surrender; we did it, not the Minsk Group! We and the Russian President Vladimir Putin, and this is the reality,” Aliyev stressed to the two co-chairs.
After the visit the two co-chairs issued a joint statement. Taking into account the new realities, the co-chairs affirmed their continuing commitment to engage constructively with the sides to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and to resolve outstanding issues. They also committed to providing concrete proposals on issues raised during the meetings for future discussions between the sides. Noting recent reports of incidents resulting in casualties, the co-chairs called on the sides to take additional measures to stabilise the situation in accordance with their commitments. Visconti and Schofer also urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to complete as soon as possible the exchange of all detainees and accelerate the identification and repatriation of remains in coordination with the ICRC.
