Azerbaijani, Armenian foreign ministers to meet this month

"The co-chairs will bring the foreign ministers together on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September. We will discuss with the ministers the possibility of holding the next presidential summit later this year,” James Warlick, the U.S. representative to the OSCE Minsk Group, told AzerNews.

Commenting on the recent escalation of tension along the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, Warlick said that the co-chairs continue to propose confidence-building measures to ensure that the ceasefire is respected.

"For most of the year, the situation along the line of contact and [the] Armenia-Azerbaijan border has been relatively stable. We have appealed to the sides to reduce tensions and strictly respect the ceasefire. We also continue to propose confidence-building measures that would reinforce the ceasefire, creating a more positive environment for negotiations that could lead to a settlement,” Warlick said.

Russia hopes for progress in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the bilateral relations, the situation in the region and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This is where we are trying to reach a common ground under your leadership, the leadership of the Presidents of Armenia and Russia, as well as the Minsk Group co-chairing countries,” said Lavrov, according to RIA Novosti.

"I hope progress will be reached,” the foreign minister said. The meeting took place during Lavrov’s recent working visit to Baku.