On December 14, the RA Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian received the representatives of the the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Stefan Visconti (France), Andrew Chaffer (USA), the Charge d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Armenia Alexei Sinegubov and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The meeting focused on the developments following the ceasefire in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone, issues of restoration and protection of the rights of the Artsakh Armenians. In this context, the RA Foreign Minister reaffirmed the principled position of the Armenian parties that the addressing of the rights and interests of the Artsakh Armenians should take place first of all within the framework of the peace process under the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. As a priority of the Armenian side, Ara Aivazian emphasized the establishment of the status of Artsakh on the basis of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, the de-occupation of the Artsakh territories occupied by Azerbaijan, the provision of conditions for the safe return of Artsakh Armenians to their homes and preservation of religious and cultural heritage.
Minister Aivazian once again drew the Co-Chairs' attention to the behavior of Azerbaijan in violation of its obligations under the trilateral statement. According to the Minister, the obvious manifestation of that was the provocative actions on the Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact yesterday, which were carried out during the days of the Co-Chairs' visit to the region.
Touching upon the hatred and anti-Armenian rhetoric constantly expressed in the statements made by the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan at different levels, the Minister stressed that they once again prove Azerbaijan's inability to constructively engage in the peace process and renounce the policy of force and threat of force.
During the meeting, the RA Foreign Minister and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs touched upon the issues of resumption of the peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
