OSCE envoys hope to meet Armenian, Azeri leaders "later this month"

PanARMENIAN.Net - During the upcoming meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) Co-chairs with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents, the sides will follow up on decisions taken at summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, James Warlick, the Group’s U.S. Co-chair said Tuesday, October 11, according to Trend.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding. Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

“The co-chairs plan to visit the region later this month to meet with the Presidents,” said Warlick. “We will continue discussions on elements of a settlement that can bring a lasting peace to the region.”

The diplomat also expressed hope that the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders can agree to meet at the earliest opportunity to continue face-to-face discussions.