A videoconference between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was held on April 21 with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kaspszyk.
According to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, the discussions between the parties lasted for more than an hour and a half.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region and the latest events in the region.
In accordance with the joint statement adopted in Geneva on January 30, 2020, the next steps on the peace process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were reviewed. It was noted that the humanitarian events planned beforehand, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers and the Co-Chairs' visit to the region were postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus. Nonetheless, it was highlighted that relevant works were underway to prepare these events.
The importance of abiding by the ceasefire and avoidance from any provocations in the existing world health crisis was emphasized.
Azerbaijan’s stance on the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unchanged, and it is the settlement of the conflict based on the norms and principles of international law reflected in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The parties agreed to keep contacts and continue the negotiations in the shortest time possible.
Azerbaijan demands the intensification of substantive negotiations, because there is no other way to get through the situation the region faces now. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs review opportunities to move forward the peace process without military consequences.