On February 17, Edward Nalbandian received the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs - Ambassadors Igor Popov, James Warlick, Pierre Andrieu and Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

During the meeting discussions on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process continued.

Minister Nalbandian drew the attention of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the fact that after the statement by the Co-Chairs’ from January 27 and the joint statement by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the Co-Chairs from February 7, by obviously ignoring them, Baku has continued the gross violations of cease-fire regime, provocations and as pointed out by the Co-Chairs unacceptable rhetoric.

Referring to Baku’s obsession by its alleged desire to drafting the peace agreement, the Foreign Minister stressed, that in reality the Azerbaijani leadership is pursuing an aim to bring to naught the results of the negotiation process of several years on elaboration of the Basic Principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Baku is attempting to use the fact of the non-resolution of the conflict, through its own fault, tо justify the flagrant violations of human rights and repressions against opponents within the country.

“As soon as an agreement on the Basic Principles is reached , and Nagorno-Karabakh approves it, then it will be possible to start by Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia to elaborate a comprehensive peace agreement”, said Minister Nalbandian.

Referring to Baku’s attempts to present the Azerbaijani saboteurs, sentenced by the court of Nagorno-Karabakh, as “strayed innocent lambs”, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that those attempts are untenable. “Crimes committed by them are documented and proven, including the kidnapping, torture and brutal murder of a 17 years-old young man”, underlined the Foreign Minister of Armenia.