On January 24 in Paris took place a meeting between the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Igor Popov, Jacques Faure, James Warlick and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

At first Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan had separate meetings with the Co-Chairs, then the negotiations continued in expanded format in the presence of the Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Based on the understanding reached in Vienna during the Summit meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on November 19, 2013, and in continuation of the Ministerial meeting in Kiev on December 5, the sides discussed the efforts to be undertaken to advance the peace process.

The sides agreed on the travel of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region during the first half of the following month.

Minister Nalbandian drew the Co-Chairs’ attention to the considerable increase of tension on Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia and on the line of contact with Artsakh caused by Azerbaijan, the gross violations of the ceasefire regime and the bellicose rhetoric and statements expressed on the highest level in Azerbaijan containing claims to the territories of Armenia, which are of blatantly provocative nature and seriously undermine the negotiation process. Edward Nalbandian emphasized that they reduce the perspectives of the settlement of the conflict and achievement of peace, and express an explicit contempt towards the numerous calls of the Co-Chair countries' heads to refrain from any statements or actions that could increase tension in the region and lead to an escalation of the situation.

In this context the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of the implementation of the proposals of the OSCE Co-Chairs on the consolidation of the ceasefire as a possible mechanism of prevention of provocations.