Turkey’s Response to the Decision to Dissolve the Minsk Group
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, in an official statement, welcomed the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) to completely dissolve the “Minsk Group” and abolish all of its affiliated structures. Established in 1992 with the aim of mediating in the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the group played a leading role in peace negotiations and crisis management for more than three decades.
The Ministry’s statement read:
“We welcome the historic decision taken by the OSCE Council of Ministers on 1 September 2025 to close the Minsk Group and dissolve its affiliated institutions. This decision, made possible through the joint efforts and political will of Azerbaijan and Armenia, constitutes one of the important and decisive stages in the process of achieving lasting peace between the two countries.”
According to the decision, the activities of the “Minsk Process,” the Office of the OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office’s Special Representative on the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict, and the High‑Level Planning Group will be halted as of 1 September. The Secretariat of the organization is tasked with completing all technical and administrative procedures related to the closure of these structures by 1 December 2025.
This development followed a joint letter from the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to the OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office, and came after the historic meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Washington on 8 August 2025.
According to many analysts, this step signals the beginning of a new phase in relations between Baku and Yerevan — one focused on bilateral agreements, regional cooperation, and reducing reliance on external mediation.
