Türkiye Hails OSCE Move to Disband Minsk Group

(MENAFN) Türkiye on Tuesday applauded the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) decision to disband the Minsk Group, a mediation body created over 30 years ago to address the long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in the Karabakh region.

In an official statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared, “We welcome the decision taken by the OSCE Ministerial Council on Sept. 1, 2025, regarding the dissolution of the Minsk Group and its affiliated structures.”

The statement emphasized the importance of this development, calling it “a historic decision, made possible through the joint efforts of the two countries, [that] constitutes one of the significant milestones in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”

Formed in 1992, the Minsk Group—co-chaired by Russia, the United States, and France—was tasked with facilitating a peaceful resolution to the conflict but failed to achieve a lasting agreement. Azerbaijan had persistently pushed for the group’s dissolution, viewing it as essential to progress toward a formal peace accord with Armenia.

This decision followed a pivotal summit on Aug. 8 at the White House, hosted by then-US President Donald Trump, where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met for direct talks. Shortly afterward, the foreign ministers of both nations jointly petitioned the OSCE to end the Minsk Group’s mandate.

Türkiye, a steadfast supporter of Azerbaijan throughout the conflict, hailed the group’s dissolution as a crucial step toward establishing lasting peace in the volatile South Caucasus region.

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