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The annual press conference of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic Karen Mirzoyan took place on December 25, according to the press service of Foreign Ministry of the NKR.
Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the 2015 foreign policy activities aimed at the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh, the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, guaranteeing external favorable conditions for the development of Artsakh, enhancing cooperation with various countries at all possible levels, ensuring the NKR’s involvement in international processes, and implementing initiatives in line with the interests of Artsakh in the international arena.

In particular, the process of expansion of ties and friendly relations between the communities of different foreign countries and Artsakh through decentralized cooperation was touched upon. It was noted that during the previous year the scope of decentralized cooperation between Artsakh and different foreign communities had not only expanded, but also acquired a new form and content. As a good example of decentralized cooperation, the Minister referred to the festival “French Days in Artsakh” organized in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the fall of 2015, where over 200 guests from France, representing the twin cities took part.

Touching upon the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the Foreign Minister noted that Azerbaijan's policy was a blatant disregard for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and a challenge to the international community. In this context, Karen Mirzoyan attached great importance to the immediate development and implementation of investigation mechanisms of the incidents on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which would allow to disclose the real violator of the ceasefire, specifically Azerbaijan, and to avoid untargeted appeals to the parties to the conflict.

The NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the work implemented in the information sphere, noting that the NKR Foreign Ministry and the NKR Permanent Representations were consistent in carrying out activities aimed at disseminating objective and reliable information about the Republic of Artsakh, including via the mass media and social networking sites.

Karen Mirzoyan touched upon the priorities of the NKR Foreign Ministry set for 2016, noting that the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and the international recognition of the NKR would remain in the focus of attention of the authorities of Artsakh.

At the end of the press conference, certificates of appreciation were handed in to representatives of some mass media for the effective coverage of the Artsakh’s foreign policy agenda and the activities of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.