Russia views OSCE’s decision to dissolve Minsk Group on Karabakh as justified

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated during a briefing at the Eastern Economic Forum that Russia views the decision by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to terminate the activities of the Minsk Group—which had been working on resolving the Karabakh conflict—as justified.

According to her, the decision was made based on consensus among the participating countries, including Russia, and reflects the significant changes in the regional situation. Zakharova emphasized that the initiative to shut down the Minsk institutions came from Armenia and Azerbaijan—the foreign ministers of both countries sent a formal request to the OSCE on August 11, confirming that they no longer required the mechanisms of the Minsk process.

She also noted that Russia’s co-chairmanship in the Minsk Group had consistently made every effort to promote peaceful dialogue between the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan.