Tuesday, June 21 2016 04:02

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, Ambassador James Warlick of the United States left a tweet welcoming the steps made at the June 20 meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders on Karabakh in Saint Petersburg. 

"Positive steps on NK peace at today's summit in St. Petersburg including a joint statement. We must work towards a negotiated settlement," Warlick wrote.  Presidents of  Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met in Saint Petersburg on June 20 2016 at the behest of Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin met with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in the Constantine Palace.  Reaching a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the subject of discussion at the meeting, which took place behind closed doors, according to the Kremlin press-office.  

Following the consultations, the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to normalizing the situation on the line of contact and giving their approval to an increase in the number of OSCE observers working in the conflict zone. The joint statement also expresses the parties' commitment to putting in place the conditions required for steady progress in negotiations on a political settlement to the conflict.

The presidents made a point of their regular contacts on Karabakh and agree to continue them in such format as addition to the efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs who were invited to the final stage of the meeting in St. Petersburg.

Earlier in the day, President of Russia Vladimir Putin held separate meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.