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Russia’s Lavrov says West with its statements stopped activities of OSCE Minsk Group

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused US, France and the European Union of “burying” the Minsk Group, claiming that they have refused to cooperate with Russia in any format.

Russia’s Lavrov says West with its statements stopped activities of OSCE Minsk Group

Russia’s Lavrov says West with its statements stopped activities of OSCE Minsk Group
STEPANAKERT,  DECEMBER 1, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: During a press conference today, the Russian FM said that no one remembers about the Minsk Group. “The West announced that it will not cooperate with Russia in any format. With that, they announced the end of the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Minsk Group has been created to unite those countries which have an influence in the region, which can send signals to both Yerevan and Baku and which have agreed to work under the chairmanship of Russia and the United States. At some stage France also became a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Since then the Co-Chairs have carried out a very useful work, have met with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan both separately and also held joint meetings”, the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Among those meetings Lavrov highlighted the meeting in Madrid during which the so-called Madrid principles have been proposed. Lavrov also highlighted the leading role of Russia as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, stating that in 2008 and 2011 Russia held around 10 trilateral meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, which were also attended by the representatives of US and France as a co-chair.
“After the 44-Day War in September-October 2020, when a ceasefire was established at our mediation efforts, Russia continued and continues helping the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides in the unblocking of transportation and economic communications in that region, which will, of course, contribute not only to the development of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also for other neighboring countries – Turkey, Iran and Georgia. Russia is also interested in that. Moreover, we agreed that Russia will assist the sides in the border delimitation. And thirdly, we agreed that Russia will assist in reaching an agreement over a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan”, Lavrov said.
The diplomat said that all these negotiations were achieved as a result of the summits held between the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. He also commented on the engagement of Western countries in the negotiation process.
“In line with this we have witnessed the frantic attempts of other players to get involved in these processes. We have no problem with that. The only thing we have said during the contacts with Yerevan and Baku is that the West, after the launch of the special military operation, has announced through the mouths of Washington and Paris that it will not cooperate with Russia anywhere and in any format. With that, they announced the end of the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group. Therefore, when our Armenian partners sometimes remember about the Minsk Group, we say that this question must not be asked to us. That question must be addressed to the US, France who announced that they will no longer gather that Group, and of course, the question must be also addressed to Azerbaijan as any mediation effort without Azerbaijan’s participation is pointless”.
The Russian FM said that the Western countries are attempting to intervene in the mediation efforts.
“Now both the French, the Americans and the European Union, in general, are trying to compensate the Minsk Group “buried” by them, getting involved in the mediation efforts. Moreover, they are trying to take over and privatize the agreements which the sides have reached with Russia’s participation”, Lavrov said.
Lavrov said that Brussels is hosting a session of the delimitation commissions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but stated that Brussels does not have the maps of post-Soviet countries, as “they exist only in the general staff of Russia”.
“Concerning the peace treaty. They went to Prague for the forum of the European Political Community, signed a document there according to which the delimitation and the peace treaty must be based on the UN Charter and the border established by the Alma-Ata Declaration of December 1991. And according to the Alma-Ata Declaration, all the soviet republics form the Commonwealth of Independent States and confirm the immutability of borders in the borders that existed between the Soviet republics”, Lavrov said.

     

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