Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs to meet in mid-January

The new meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled in mid-January, Armenian deputy foreign minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters in the parliament, adding that at the moment he cannot provide information on the meeting dates and place. “The meeting is scheduled in mid-January, but the foreign ministry cannot provide information about the exact date and place”, the deputy FM said.

Asked whether the meeting of presidents is possible after the ministers’ meeting, the deputy FM said: “As of now this issue is not being discussed yet”.

He stated that at the moment it’s very difficult to speak about the progress in the negotiations over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. “It’s difficult to talk about a progress since there is no trust environment between the sides. It absolutely doesn’t exist. We all witnessed different statements that are in line with Armenia’s foreign political positions according to which it is necessary to install the mechanisms that will form that environment”, the deputy minister said.

According to him, among the aforementioned conditions the priority is the maintenance of the ceasefire regime. Deputy FM Kocharyan emphasized that the meetings first of all aim at solving this issue which will also reduce the tension in the line of contact. “We again have losses, there are still shots, but, nevertheless, such meetings contribute to reducing the level of this tension”, he added.