وارطان داوتیان

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan has met with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Bernard Fassier of France, Igor Popov of Russia, Robert Bradtke of US and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-OfficeAndzej Kasprzyk later today that arrived in Yerevan from Nakhichevan where they held a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
According to a release by Armenia's Foreign Ministry, the co-chairs have elaborated on the results of the discussions held in Baku over the Field Assessment Mission in the territories around Nagorno Karabakh.
Mr Nalbandyan has expressed indignation over the death of an Armenian shepherd held in captivity in Azerbaijan, stressing that for 25 days the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross had been denied access to Manvel Saribekyan. Mr Nalbandyan has also said that the working style of the Azerbaijani authorities what he called "typical to that of terrorist groups" does not contribute to the peace talks process.
Armenia's FM has also discussed with the OSCE co-chairs the further steps, as well as the continuation of the peace talks based on the renewed Madrid Principles.
Following the meeting with Mr Nalbandyan the co-chairs then met with President Serzh Sargsyan.
Earlier on Tuesday Armenia's Defense Ministry had released a statement, expressing its concerns over the death of Manvel Saribekyann and accused the international community of inactivity over Azerbaijan's actions which have violated the norms of international humanitarian rights.
"Having no grounds to believe in the veracity of the hypothesis of the Armenian young man's death the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Armenia expresses its concerns over the issue, considering that all the responsibility of his death lies on the country holding him in captivity, i.e. Azerbaijan,"
Manvel Saribekyan is a young Armenian shepherd, who had lost his way in search of his lost cattle months ago, and had crossed the Azeri border inadvertently and been seized by Azerbaijani armed forces.
"We call on international organizations, particularly on the International Committee of the Red Cross, to pay attention to the fact that Azerbaijan, by taking such provocative steps during the days of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs' Field Assessment Mission, once again rudely violates the norms of the international humanitarian rights," namely the provisions of the Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, ignores the efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at the peaceful settlement of the NK conflict," the Defense Ministry had said.