OSCE dissolves group on Karabakh issue

MINSK

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has formally agreed to dissolve its Minsk Group formed in 1992 to deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Minsk Group, co-led by the United States, Russia and France for more than thirty years, jointly crafted numerous proposals aimed at resolving the conflict. While the group has largely been inactive, Azerbaijan was advocating for its formal termination.

Armenia previously insisted that any dissolution should coincide with the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.

However, in a further concession to Baku, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan waived this requirement during his Aug. 8 discussions with Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev, which were hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump.

These talks led to the initialing, rather than the formal signing, of the draft treaty. Following this, the foreign ministers of both South Caucasus nations jointly requested that the OSCE disband the Minsk Group.

On Sept. 1, the OSCE announced that all 57 member states agreed to “close the Minsk process and its associated structures,” with the formal closure set to be completed by Dec. 1.

“I would like to once again extend my warmest congratulations to Armenia and Azerbaijan for their historic agreements on peace and the normalization of relations and for their firm decision to commence prompt implementation,” OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry emphasized that the closure of the Minsk Group marks a transition to a new phase in the resolution of the conflict.

The statement highlighted that Azerbaijan has reasserted control over its territories, thereby strengthening its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

A statement from Turkish Foreign Ministry also expressed satisfaction with the decision to close the group.

“This historic decision, made possible through the joint efforts of both countries, constitutes a significant milestone in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” it said.