OSCE: Finland as current chair to begin consultations on closing Minsk Group - EXCLUSIVE

Finland, as the current Chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), will lead discussions with participating States in response to the joint appeal by Azerbaijan and Armenia to close the Minsk process and related structures, Report informs referring to the headquarters of the organization.

"We welcome the August 8 agreements signed in Washington DC, congratulate Armenia and Azerbaijan on this development and commend the US Administration on its role in bringing it about. The OSCE remains committed to all efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace and stability to both countries. On August 11, the OSCE received a joint Appeal from Armenia and Azerbaijan proposing a Ministerial Council Decision on the closure of the OSCE Minsk Process and related structures. The 2025 Chair-in-Office, Finland, will lead discussions with participating States in response to the joint appeal of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Secretariat stands ready to implement any relevant outcomes of these discussions," reads the statement.

The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. After the Patriotic War in the fall of 2020, which ended with the victory of Azerbaijan, Baku repeatedly stated that the Karabakh conflict was resolved and in such circumstances there was no need for either the OSCE Minsk Group or its institutions.

In this regard, Azerbaijan proposed that Armenia make a joint appeal to the OSCE to liquidate the Minsk Group. In Washington on August 8, the foreign ministers of the two countries, in the presence of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the United States, signed a joint appeal to dissolve the group.

The liquidation of the OSCE Minsk Group was one of two conditions for Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty with Armenia. In addition to the three co-chair countries - the United States, Russia and France, the group includes Belarus, Germany, Italy, Türkiye, Finland and Sweden, Azerbaijan and Armenia.