President Bako Sahakyan of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh met with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the capital Stepanakert on May 18.
According to the NKR President’s office, President Sahakyan congratulated the newly appointed French Co-Chair of the Minsk Group, Pierre Andieux on his new position, expressing hope that he will actively participate in the peaceful resolution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. President Sahakyan also thanked former French Co-Chair Jacques Faure for his balanced and productive work during his tenure.
Regarding the Karabakh conflict, President Sahakyan noted that Stepanakert remains loyal to its peaceful solution in collaboration with the Minsk Group.
The leader of the de facto independent republic stressed that independence and freedom are absolute values for Karabakh and returning to the past is impossible – impossible both in terms of status and borders.
The border situation and regional processes were also discussed during the meeting, which was attended by NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Mirzoyan and other officials.
Prior to their visit to Stepanakert, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs had met with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan and Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanian in Yerevan.
On May 11, the OSCE Minsk Group published a statement on the 20th anniversary of the May 12, 1994 ceasefire agreement which reads: “We share a common position on this conflict, and remain firmly committed to helping the sides reach a peaceful settlement as soon as possible based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, particularly those pertaining to the non-use of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples.”
On May 7, US Co-Chair James Warlick made an announcement during a speech at the Carnegie Foundation in which he presented six points summarizing the political stance of the United States on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.