OSCE chair backs Baku-Yerevan joint appeal to dissolve Minsk Group During Armenia visit

The current Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, arrived in Yerevan to express support for the joint appeal by Armenia and Azerbaijan to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group.

Speaking during her visit, Valtonen stated that the process of disbanding the Minsk Group is expected to be completed by the end of December, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media outlets.

She emphasised that the OSCE remains committed to continuing cooperation with Armenia in areas of mutual interest.

The OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992 under the then-Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (now OSCE), was tasked with mediating a peaceful resolution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh. Over more than three decades, the Minsk Group’s efforts largely failed to produce a final peace settlement. Periodic escalations, including the 2020 Karabakh war, exposed its limited influence and inability to enforce agreements or prevent military confrontations.

On September 1, the OSCE Ministerial Council unanimously adopts the closure via silent procedure, with administrative functions set to end by December 1, 2025. All prior Minsk-related decisions are declared invalid. France and Russia explicitly support the move.

By Khagan Isayev