OSCE Minsk Group's work should resume, Armenia tells U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on Monday, May 2.

According to a statement from the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the high dynamics of the development of Armenia-U.S. relations was emphasized, and it was noted that since 2019 the cooperation has been raised to a new level of Strategic Dialogue. The sides expressed willingness to further strengthen the effective cooperation established in various fields, based on the common values ​​of democracy, protection of human rights, rule of law, and the fight against corruption.

Mirzoyan and Nuland exchanged views on issues of regional security and stability. The implementation process of the agreements reached between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi and Brussels was discussed. They also touched upon the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the process of launching negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a comprehensive peace agreement. In this context, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed the importance of resuming the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war were discussed, particularly, the immediate release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war, and the preservation of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control.

Mirzoyan also presented the recent developments on the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.

Currently on a working visit in the U.S., Mirzoyan earlier met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation. During the meeting, Blinken lauded "the courage and the flexibility" that Armenia and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have been showing throughout the dialogue with Azerbaijan.