YEREVAN. - Closing of the OSCE Office in Yerevan is, of course, unpleasant, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volinkin told Armenian News – NEWS.am Thursday.

“If the stance is to close the OSCE Office in Yerevan, there’s nothing for it. I can see that the representation exerted lots of efforts to maintain that office. Let’s see, maybe other forms of the OSCE presence in the region can be found,” the Ambassador said.

Asked whether he doesn’t consider the stance of Azerbaijan destructive, since the entire activity of the OSCE in Armenia depends on this as well, Volinkin said:  “I agree to the extent that it is bad that the last OSCE office in the region is closing. But the OSCE office was recently closed in Azerbaijan as well.  You know, the OSCE adopts all wishes by consensus, that’s why it happened so.”

At the session of the OSCE Permanent Council it wasn’t possible to reach an agreement on extending the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, which will close in the coming months.