Azerbaijan hints at OSCE Minsk Group’s closure by September 1

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, has indicated that the OSCE Minsk Group, long involved in mediating the Karabakh conflict, could be formally dissolved as early as September 1.

Speaking at a special Cabinet meeting on the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Washington, Bayramov said that proposals to abolish the Minsk Group and its associated structures have been circulated among OSCE member states, with a decision expected shortly, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Bayramov described the recent visit to the United States on August 7–8, during which key documents were signed, as a significant step in normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

He said the Azerbaijani government’s diplomatic approach had reached its “logical peak,” noting that efforts to resolve the conflict through a decisive foreign policy aligned with the country’s national interests. “Even in the most challenging periods, our country did not allow the legalisation of occupation,” he added.

The foreign minister also highlighted that Armenia had opposed several provisions of the peace agreement until January this year, including the withdrawal of court claims and restrictions on third-party forces along the border.

The joint declaration signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the presence of US President Donald Trump, affirmed Azerbaijan’s peace agenda, Bayramov said.

He stressed that the Minsk Group had effectively been sidelined: “Azerbaijan has taken substantial steps to establish stable peace in the region. We have openly stated that the Karabakh issue is an internal matter for Azerbaijan.

Despite some progress in past negotiations, Armenia’s rapid rearmament was a major obstacle to completing the normalisation process.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev