Restoration of the negotiations in the trilateral format is the best way to succeed in advancing the peace process. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) Masis Mayilyan said during a meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Miroslav Lajčák on 13 March.

At the request of Lajčák, Masis Mayilyan presented Artsakh’s position on the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

Masis Mayilyan emphasized that the co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group is the only agreed intermediary platform for settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. Artsakh’s foreign minister stated that restoration of the negotiations in the trilateral format enshrined by the decision of the OSCE summit meeting in Budapest in 1994 is the best way to succeed in advancing the peace process. According to the minister, the trilateral format of negotiations with the direct and full-fledged participation of the official Stepanakert has not only proved its effectiveness, but is also the most effective format that has ensured conclusion of the agreement of 12 May 1994 on ceasefire. Besides the need for restoration of the trilateral negotiations, Masis Mayilyan also attached importance to the development of new ideas to achieve real progress in the peace process.

Artsakh’s foreign minister declared that one of the major indicators of effectiveness of the settlement is the implementation of the agreements reached earlier, stating that Azerbaijan’s de facto refusal from the agreements in Vienna and Saint Petersburg hinder advancement of the peace process.

During the meeting, the parties also touched upon humanitarian issues. The minister urged the OSCE Chairman-in-Office to pay proper attention to humanitarianism and drew Lajčák’s attention to the fact that Azerbaijan continues to make attempts to isolate Artsakh and, in this regard, the OSCE bears some responsibility to make sure citizens of the Republic of Artsakh are not restricted when it comes to exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms due to the fact that the conflict remains unresolved. In regard to this, Masis Mayilyan stated the modernity of the visits of high-ranking representatives of international organizations to Artsakh. According to the minister, such visits will become a major signal to keep the issue of peace and stability in the South Caucasus in the focus of the OSCE and other international organizations.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Miroslav Lajčák assured that the OSCE would continue to exert all efforts for an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict.