Lavrov expects five parties to adopt statement on Nagorno-Karabakh issue

BAKU, December 3. /TASS/. Moscow expects that Azerbaijan, Armenia and members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group (Russia, the US and France) will adopt a joint statement on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue at a meeting in Bratislava, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday. According to Lavrov, apart from holding a bilateral meeting, the Armenian and Azerbaijani top diplomats will also meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. "Participants in the OSCE Ministerial Council’s annual meetings seek to record their commitment to the basic principles that were approved by the parties years ago but are still relevant," the Russian foreign minister pointed out. "If possible, we would like to adopt a five-party statement by the two ministers and three co-chairs," he added. "If it cannot be done for some reason, then the three co-chairs will still put their position on paper. However, I hope that there will be a five-party statement," the Russian top diplomat emphasized. Bratislava will host the 26th OSCE Ministerial Council meeting on December 5-6. The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will hold a meeting in Slovakia’s capital on December 4. Read more