Diplomatic efforts continue by the U.S. and Russia, as co-chairs with France of the OSCE Minsk Group of mediators for peace in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, little progress is being made because of the very apparent intransigence of Azerbaijan, and its main ally, Turkey, who are demanding a full withdrawal of Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, knowing full well such a demand is a non-starter.
On Oct. 5 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan talked by phone on the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis. While Putin has had several discussions with Pashinyan, he has yet to communicate directly with the Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
On the same day, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun spoke to the foreign ministers of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, urging “the sides to agree to a ceasefire immediately and resume negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.”
The Minsk Group co-chairs in Washington, Moscow, and Paris, themselves issued another joint statement for a ceasefire and denouncing the loss of civilian lives on Oct. 5. (https://www.osce.org/minsk-group/465879 In a clear show of unity on their part they said they are “determined to exercise fully their mandate, entrusted to them by the OSCE and the international community, with the contribution of the Minsk Group capitals. As such, they will firmly continue to advance their engagement with the sides, and urge them to commit now to resuming the settlement process on the basis of existing core principles and relevant international documents well-known by both parties.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered the good offices of Moscow for a meeting of the two sides in the context of the Minsk Group’s efforts.
