Yerevan /Mediamax/. There’s still no certainty about a possible meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Mediamax believes it’s clear from the reports about the meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs in New York on September 23, and the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Armenian MFA stated:

“On September 23 in New York, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting, which was attended by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

The parties discussed issues related to the organization of the upcoming meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It was agreed that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs will visit the region in October.”

The OSCE Minsk Group stated in its turn that the Ministers expressed their commitment to work with the Co-Chairs “to prepare for a successful summit in the near future”.

“The main aim of the consultations was to discuss the current situation in the conflict zone, to explore ways to reinvigorate the negotiation process, and to prepare for the upcoming summit between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.    

The Co-Chairs expect the summit meeting to contribute to enhancing confidence and political will among the parties to find compromise solutions to the remaining key settlement issues.  The Ministers expressed their commitment to work with the Co-Chairs to prepare for a successful summit in the near future,” reads the mediators’ statement.

It’s worth noting that the latest meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev took place over a year ago, on 20 July 2016 in St. Petersburg.

In January of 2017, the French Co-Chair Stephane Visconti said in the exclusive interview to Mediamax:

“The most challenging issue is to restore trust and dialogue [between the parties], and thus to be in a position to trigger a reasonable, efficient and strong dynamics.”