The Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group for the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process issued a joint statement, pointing out progress in the process during this year.

The heads of the delegations reaffirmed their commitment to the Moscow declaration of last November and the Helsinki statement by the OSCE Foreign Ministers’ Council of last December. They welcomed the progress in the negotiation process, namely, the six Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meetings this year.

The Foreign Ministers expressed hope for more frequent Armenian-Azerbaijani meetings, which, in turn, will intensify the dialogue and help the sides agree on the fundamental settlement principles proposed in Madrid in 2007. The Foreign Ministers of the OSCE MG Co-Chairing countries (Russia, France and the USA) reaffirmed their commitments at the G8 Summit in Aquila on June 10, 2009. The matter particularly concerns assistance to the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in agreeing on the fundamental settlement principles.

The OSCE Minsk Group called on the sides to agree on the principles as soon as possible The OSCE MG Co-Chairs believe the principles can serve as a basis for a comprehensive settlement of regional conflicts. The Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers reported progress in reaching common grounds on various aspects of the settlement principles. RIA Novosti reported that the OSCE MG Foreign Ministers stated their countries’ willingness to complete the process of agreeing on the principles. The Ministers reaffirmed their intention to follow the principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity and nations’ right to self-determination.