(OSCE) – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to Baku (March 11), Yerevan (March 27) and Nagorno-Karabakh (March 28). The main purpose of the Co-Chairs’ visits to the region was to receive the most current detailed political and mi

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović at the conference on shaping policies to advance media freedom on the Internet, Vienna, February 14, 2013. (Photo by Colin Peters) (OSCE) – At the end of the siege of police headquarters in Yerevan, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today sought reassurance from the foreign minister of Armenia that journalists’ rights and safety during times of civil unrest would be protected. Mijatović wro

(L-R): Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. On June 20, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss peace negotiations for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. This is the second time Sargsyan and Aliyev have spoken together following the Nagorno Karabakh four-day war in early April. Their first meeting was on May 16 with rep

State Department: Positive Developments Made Toward Nagorno Karabakh Peace During a U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing on May 17, Spokesperson John Kirby commented on the recent talks earlier this week in Vienna with Armenia and Azerbaijan on a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. QUESTION: I would like to get back to yesterday’s meeting in Vienna, where the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country high-ranking representative, including Secretary of State Jo

(News.am) – During the Armenian-Azerbaijani meeting, which was held Monday in Vienna, the Armenian side had aimed to find out whether or not the Nagorno Karabakh peace talks have met an impasse, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan told Armenian journalists on the way back from the Austrian capital city. “Our objective was to find out whether the negotiations have actually deadlocked and there is no other way but to war, or, nonetheless, we can solve the problem with minimal l

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States of America John Kerry, and State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, representing the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, met today with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. They reiterated that there can be no military solution to t

On May 12, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued a statement on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict: The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France, remain fully committed to mediating a lasting settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In light of the recent violence and the urgency of reducing tensions along the Line of Contact, we believe the time has come fo

On April 18, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian received Günther Bächler, Special Representative for the South Caucasus of the OSCE German Chairperson-in-Office. Nalbandian presented the current situation in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, which was the result of military actions and ongoing cease-fire violations by Azerbaijan. On behalf of the German Chairmanship of the OSCE, Ambassador Bächler offered his condolences for the human losses from the military actions,

On April 10, in accordance with the arrangement reached earlier, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office, carried out the exchange of bodies of the deceased between the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan near the Bash Karvend settlement. The bodies

Yesterday, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the Ambassadors of the OSCE Participating States to provide them with information regarding the situation on the Line of Contact in Nagorno Karabakh Republic. President Sargsyan’s speech: I appreciate your quick response to my invitation and thank you for being here. I am confident that all of you are informed about the situation on the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact. The purpose of inviting the Ambassadors of the OSCE participat

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – We, the representatives of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group countries (Russian Federation, the United States of America, France, Belarus, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Turkey), as well as the incoming Austrian OSCE Chair (2017), and the Serbian OSCE Chair (2015), strongly condemn the outbreak of unprecedented violence along the Line of Contact.  We extend our condolences to all affected families. We urge the side

By Siranush Ghazanchyan (ArmRadio) – “The lasting solution to the Karabakh conflict is a priority for us,” U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said in an interview with Voice of America. “The attempts to violate the ceasefire are a cause of great concern for us, the clashes reported in January last year were unprecedented since the conclusion of the ceasefire agreement. The most worrisome are the losses suffered by the peaceful population, we condemn the use o

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  This week, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) submitted written testimony to the Helsinki Commission’s hearing entitled: “Update on the OSCE: Religious Freedom, Anti-Semitism, and Rule of Law,” citing Azerbaijan’s escalating and deadly cease-fire violations and urging additional action. “As the Commission is aware, the Assembly remains deeply concerned about the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan, its jailing of journalists and abandonment of demo

By Siranush Ghazanchyan (ArmRadio) – The Head of the Armenian Mission to the OSCE, Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan referred to the 9th anniversary of assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink as he addressed the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on January 21. Ambassador Kirakosyan said he shares the expectations of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović that the masterminds behind the murder will be brought to justice, which will demonstrat

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog On November 12th, an Azerbaijani military unit stationed near the official Line of Contact (LOC) shot down an unarmed Nagorno Karabakh (NK) army helicopter killing all three servicemen aboard. News of the incident was first reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation and soon went viral across the Internet. “The [Armenian] Assembly strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s blatant cease-fire violation and calls upon the Administrat

By Taniel Koushakjian AAANews Blog Today, the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off in New York City. President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia was the 11th speaker to take the podium this morning, where he discussed a wide range of issues facing Armenians across the globe. Sargsyan began his speech recalling the centennial of World War I, the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the founding of the U.N. In this context, Sargsyan highligh

AAANews Blog Americans for Artsakh (AFA) condemns Azerbaijan’s recent aggression along the Line-of-Contact between Azerbaijani and NagornoKarabakhRepublic (Artsakh) armed forces and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Baku’s deliberate and ongoing sniper and cross-border attacks are clear violations of the Ceasefire Agreement it signed with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) and Armenia in 1994. With each illegal attack, Baku’s destructive policy perpetuates a dangerous cycle o

By Taniel Koushakjian AAANews Blog On Wednesday, July 2nd, a member of Armenia’s press service in Washington, D.C. raised the issue of Azerbaijan military attacks on Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh during the U.S. State Department’s daily press briefing. “There is a noticeable escalation of anti-Armenian rhetoric in Azerbaijan recently,” stated Haykaram Nahapetyan, Armenian Public Television’s Washington correspondent. Azerbaijan violated the fragile ceasefire agreement “not onl

By Taniel Koushakjian AAANews Blog The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently concluded their annual Parliamentary Assembly meeting, held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. The OSCE-PA consisted of approximately 300 Members of Parliament from over 50 participating member states from June 28 – July 2, including U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman and Co-Chair, respectively, of the U.S. OSCE Helsinki Commission. Speaking

Key Amendments Adopted Include Calling for the Protection of Religious Minorities in Syria, Urging States to Prevent the Use of their Territories for Cross Border Attacks on Communities like Kessab, Affirming Principle of Peaceful Settlement of Disputes and Right of Self-Determination of Peoples At a parliamentary meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Baku, Azerbaijan earlier today, Armenia’s representative offered two amendments to