YEREVAN. – The OSCE Minsk Group mediator co-chair states, featuring Russia, the U.S. and France, have the mandate corresponding to the agency of the international community, to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the statement made by the Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian reads in connection to the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“20 years ago this day by the decision of the Foreign Ministerial Council of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe the Minsk process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement was launched. As a result the Minsk Group and its Co-Chairmanship were formed with the goal to reach a peaceful settlement through negotiations, based on the basic principles of international law.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship of Russia, the United States and France, is the only mediation structure dealing with Nagorno-Karabakh issue with the relevant mandate of the international community.

The Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group have had an important contribution to the preservation of the ceasefire, to the reducing of tension in the conflict zone, to the continuation of negotiations between the sides and elaborating principles for the peaceful settlement of the conflict. In the preservation of ceasefire the Co-Chairs are effectively cooperating with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office who has also an important role to the preservation of ceasefire.

Thanks to the efforts of the Co-Chairs the wholeness of the principles and elements was elaborated as a basis for the settlement of the issue, and which are reflected in the joint statements of Presidents Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy made at the G8 Summits in L’Aquila, Muskoka and Deauville.

President of Russia’s consistent efforts with the full support of the Presidents of the USA and France, with an aim to bring closer the positions of the sides on basic principles, gave certain results. Despite the expectations of the international community and Armenia’s constructive stance, the Kazan meeting initiated by the President Medvedev did not become a breakthrough.

If a breakthrough has not been achieved in the conflict settlement until today, it is not because of the lack of efforts by the Co-Chairs, but due to the non-constructive approach by one of the sides, which is consecutively rejecting the proposals made by the Co-Chairs, which is not refraining from the illusion of solving the issue through use of force, which is not willing to negotiate directly with Nagorno-Karabakh, a core party to the conflict.

Committed to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through exclusively peaceful means, Armenia highly appreciates the continuous and consistent efforts of the Co-Chair countries-Russia, the United States and France, and believes that thanks to mediation efforts in exactly this format it would be possible to reach a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,” the statement reads.