Russia is of the opinion that the format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has never ceased its activities and continues to function. According to Armenpress, this was stated by Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin during a conversation with journalists, referring to the question of resuming the negotiation process around the settlement of the Artsakh issue.
“We proceed from the approach that the co-chairs’ format continues to function; there are issues that fall within the agenda of the co-chairmanship format, and I believe that much here will depend on the positions of the parties,” Kopyrkin commented.
According to the Russian ambassador, the upcoming regional visit of the Minsk Group co-chairs is on the agenda, but there is no clear information yet as to exactly when it will take place.
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Stéphane Visconti (France) and Andrew Schofer (USA), in a joint statement on 13 April, had called on the parties to the NK conflict to resume high-level political dialogue under the auspices of the co-chairs.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, had stated on 1 June that the three co-chairs might reach an agreement in the near future regarding a visit to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
