France and the U.S. have refused to continue to cooperate with Russia for the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group. If they are ready to give up on the interests of Armenians in Karabakh, and overall in the South Caucasus, it’s their choice.
The statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference on April 8 with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
“West’s attempts to exclude Russia from the OSCE Minsk Group are irresponsible,” he added.
The statement followed a meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev mediated by EU Council President Charles Michel on April 6. The meeting, which promised works in delimitation of borders and draft of peace treaty between the two countries, was a major diplomatic event since the end of the war in 2020. The fact that the OSCE Minsk Group wasn’t mentioned in statements about results of the meeting caught eyes, too.
Lavrov also said that he did not know the fate of the OSCE Minsk Group. “As for the activities or the future of the OSCE Minsk Group trio (Russia, France, the United States), I would say that I do not know the future of this organization.”
The French and American partners in the group also canceled the trio of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in an attempt to eliminate everything related to Russia in a Russophobic frenzy,
Lavrov said.
