Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, on the margins of the 31st Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The meeting included discussions on prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Finland, issues arising from Finland’s upcoming Chairmanship of the OSCE starting next year, and the current post-conflict situation in the region.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov highlighted the milestone agreements on climate action during Azerbaijan’s Presidency of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as the country’s efforts to advance the climate action agenda.
The Azerbaijani top diplomat informed his Finnish counterpart about the current realities in the region, including the post-conflict situation, the ongoing threat of mines, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization agenda. Minister Bayramov described the ongoing territorial claims against Azerbaijan in the Armenian constitution and other legal documents as obstacles to the peace process, despite certain advancements in provisions of the peace agreement, including border delimitation.
FM Bayramov also congratulated his Finnish counterpart on Finland’s upcoming OSCE Chairmanship, wishing the country success in this regard. He expressed Azerbaijan’s readiness to support efforts to increase the OSCE’s efficiency.
In this context, he emphasized the importance of abolishing certain OSCE institutions, which are remnants of the former Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the organization.
The two ministers also exchanged views on other regional issues of mutual concern.