MP: France's mediation efforts as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair yield no results

Member of the Board of the Azerbaijani Center of Analysis of International Relations and MP Gulshan Pashayeva has said that although France was a co-chair of the former OSCE Minsk Group, its mediation efforts yielded no results.

Pashayeva made these remarks during the first panel session of an international event on "France and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict" in Baku, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

She spoke about the historically positive relations with Paris, noting that France was one of the first countries which recognized Azerbaijan's independence.

"Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. France, as one of the co-chairs of the former OSCE Minsk Group, was also involved in efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Azerbaijan made significant efforts to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, but negotiations during France's mediation yielded no results. Ultimately, the second Karabakh war broke out, and Azerbaijan restored justice by freeing its lands from occupation," Pashayeva added. 

Earlier, President of the Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan suggested that the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, an international negotiating format co-chaired by Russia, the United States, and France, could be a topic of discussion between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during the talks in Moscow.

He pointed out that given Russia’s role as one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, the future of the organisation would be an important issue in the bilateral discussions. The OSCE Minsk Group has been tasked with mediating peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but its future remains uncertain in light of recent regional developments.

By Naila Huseynova