Minsk Group Blames ‘Lack of Political Will’ in Armenia, Azerbaijan for Negotiation Setbacks

(Source: Public Radio of Armenia)

BELGRADE””The heads of the delegations to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, the Russian Federation, the U.S., and France, have issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for a renewed effort by Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by exclusively peaceful means.

The statement comes after an OSCE ministerial meeting in Belgrade, where Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was in attendance.

The statement expressed the Co-Chair countries’ continued united effort to mediate a peaceful settlement to the conflict, welcoming of an upcoming meeting between Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev. The statement goes on to commend Azerbaijan’s return of an Armenian serviceman who had crossed the line of contact with Azerbaijan and an Armenian civilian who crossed the international border as a “helpful humanitarian measure.”