OSCE to officially close Minsk process by December 1

On November 21, 2025, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced that it is completing the closure of the Minsk process and its associated structures.

The OSCE issued the statement in response to an inquiry by Azerbaijani media.

“Based on Decision No. 1/25 adopted by the Council of Ministers on September 1, 2025, the OSCE is taking steps to close the Minsk process and related structures,” the statement said.

The closure is scheduled to be finalised by December 1, 2025: “After this date, all activities conducted under the mandate of the Minsk process and its related structures will officially cease.”

The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 under the framework of the then-Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (now OSCE) to mediate a peaceful resolution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh.

Over more than three decades, the Minsk Group largely failed to achieve a final peace settlement. Repeated escalations, including the 2020 Karabakh war, highlighted its limited influence and inability to enforce agreements or prevent military confrontations.

All previous Minsk-related decisions are now declared invalid. France and Russia explicitly voiced their support for the closure.

By Tamilla Hasanova