Finland moves to dissolve Minsk Group following Baku-Yerevan request

Finland, the current chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has begun steps to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group, following a joint request from Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Toni Sandell, a Finnish diplomat and deputy head of Finland’s 2025 OSCE Chairmanship Task Force at the Foreign Ministry, told Report’s European bureau that Helsinki welcomed the agreements signed in Washington on August 8.

“These agreements mark an important step towards normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and achieving lasting peace in the region,” Sandell said. He added that Finland had initiated a response to the two countries’ joint request, with further details to be provided in due course.

Earlier, OSCE officials in Paris said the current chair would consult with member states on the issue. Finland itself is a member of the Minsk Group.

The joint request for the Minsk Group’s dissolution was signed in Washington on 8 August by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the presence of the leaders of both countries and the United States. The move formed one of two key conditions set by Azerbaijan for signing a peace agreement with Armenia.

The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Following Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 war, Baku repeatedly asserted that the conflict had been resolved, questioning the continued need for the group and its institutions.

Alongside the three co-chair countries – the United States, Russia, and France – and Finland, the group includes Belarus, Germany, Italy, Türkiye, Sweden, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

By Aghakazim Guliyev