On July 4, on the margins of his working visit to Artsakh, Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with the Foreign Minister of Artsakh Masis Mayilian.

The interlocutors commended the implementation process of the program of foreign policy consultations between the Foreign Ministries  of Armenia and Artsakh.

Foreign Ministers touched upon the recent developments of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the video conference held between the Foregin Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on July 30, with the mediation and participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. In this regard Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan noted: “This is a good opportunity for us to have more substantive consultations with the newly elected authorities of Artsakh, to combine the positions on the priorities of our foreign policy agenda, first of all, of course, on the Nagorno Karabakh peace process.”

Emphasizing the importance of the engagement of the newly elected authorities of Artsakh in the peace process, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed that the Government of Armenia and the Prime Minister have always attached importance to the full participation of Artsakh in the peace process. “First of all, it is a practical issue, as the peace process is about the people of Artsakh. This is an undeniable reality, which requires a visible presence of the people of Artsakh and their elected authorities, and a strengthening of their sense of ownership towards the peace process.”

In the context of creating an environment of peace process and consistently ensuring the comprehensive security of the people of Artsakh, the Foreign Minister of Armenia noted: “We have repeatedly emphasized that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement. By saying this, we also stress that both the people of Artsakh and the authorities of Artsakh are more than determined to protect their security, their freedom and their right to development.”

On the same day, Foreign Minister Mnastakanyan had a meeting with the staff of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh, during which he presented the positions and approaches of Armenia on international and regional developments, as well as the recent developments of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.