We are grateful to the President of the Russian Federation for organizing this meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in St. Petersburg. This meeting was the logical continuation of the Vienna Summit of May 16, during which quite important agreements were reached aimed at creating relevant conditions for the resumption of negotiation process. As you know, in Vienna a statement was adopted on the level of Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, reflecting the agreements and commitments that the sides undertook: first and foremost to settle the issue exclusively through peaceful means, maintain the 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements which have no time limitations. The importance of those trilateral agreements was especially emphasized by the Ministers of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. Agreements were also reached on the creation of mechanism for investigation of cease-fire violations both along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and on the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, as well as on the expansion of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

As you know, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan had separate meetings with the OSCE MG Co-Chairs in Brussels and Paris respectively, during which detailed proposals on those two points were presented, i.e. the creation of investigation mechanism and expansion of the the team of Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. Together with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, the Armenian side works on those two proposals. Unfortunately, we can say that so far Azerbaijan has not shown any constructive approach to this issue. In fact, up till now they have hindered the process of allocating any financing for the expansion of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE CiO within the OSCE committee on financing and budget issues.

Today, during the meeting in St. Petersburg the Presidents once again emphasized that the team should be expanded. This was mentioned in the Statement, issued by the Presidents.

We are also talking about the creation of mechanism. This decision was agreed in Vienna and it was not the first time. At least twice, back in 2011 and 2012 in Sochi, the Presidents agreed on the creation of such a mechanism. And once again we witnessed the same scenario: each time Azerbaijan tries to backtrack.

Indeed, in between the Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings, Azerbaijan made statements, I would not say constructive ones; you are well aware what kind of statements we heard from Baku, one should also consider the fact that yesterday and today, on the very days, when the Summit is underway, Azerbaijan holds large-scale military exercises, involving 25 thousands troops, heavy weaponry and armament. I do not consider this as a constructive stance ahead and during the Summit.

Despite that fact, I can say that today’s meeting was quite useful, and with some cautiousness I can say, that it proceeded in a constructive atmosphere.

Regarding some issues the Presidents had reached an understanding, that if an agreement is reached on them, it will create an opportunity to push forward the negotiation process towards settlement of the issue. The Statement made by the Presidents on the results of Summit in St. Petersburg also reads that.

It was agreed that the meetings on Presidential and Ministerial levels will continue, and that the process will proceed within the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. It was not a coincidence, that the Ambassadors of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries were invited to take part in the final part of the Presidential meeting.

President of the Republic of Armenia had a separate meeting with the Co-Chairs and presented our impressions on the results of the Summit.