OSCE Minsk Group

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The OSCE Minsk Group was the international mediation framework established in 1992 to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict. Co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States, it was the primary diplomatic channel for Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations for nearly three decades until Azerbaijan declared the group obsolete following the 2020 war. Central to the Minsk Group’s mandate was the question of self-determination: the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh sought recognition of their right to self-determination, and the framework’s ultimate failure to reconcile that claim with Azerbaijan’s insistence on territorial integrity is a key reason no settlement was reached before the outbreak of the 44-Day War.

Groong episodes covering the OSCE Minsk Group examine its history, the reasons its framework ultimately failed to produce a settlement before the outbreak of the 44-Day War, Azerbaijan’s rejection of the group following its 2020 military victory, and the subsequent shift of negotiations to bilateral Armenia-Azerbaijan talks mediated variously by Russia, the European Union, and the United States. The fate of the Minsk Group represents a broader question about the role of multilateral institutions in managing frozen conflicts in the post-Soviet space.

Roundup on the Ukraine Crisis - February 22, 2022 [EP123]

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2022 | Category: Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, China, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: cog

Roundup on the Ukraine Crisis - February 22, 2022

Topics:

  • Why did Putin Recognize Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts as Independent Republics?
  • Is Putin Trying to Recreate the USSR?
  • Is “The West” a Homogeneous Political Bloc?
  • What are the Objectives of the US?

Guest:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Lecturer in History at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. His research focuses on the history of Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus.

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 123 | Recorded on Friday, February 22, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220222.html

Major Incident on the Line of Contact | Turkish-Armenian Meeting in Moscow | Ep #113 - Jan 16, 2022 [EP113]

Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, USA, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 16, 2022

Topics:

  • Major incident on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Line of Contact
  • Turkish-Armenian meeting in Moscow

Guests:

  • Edgar Elbakyan TW/@ElbakyanEdgar

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan

Episode 113 | Recorded: Sunday, January 17, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220116.html

Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, European Union, Genocide, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, NATO, Economy, Middle East | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021

Topics:

  • Turkish-Armenian normalization
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
  • The Armenian Project - US Tour
  • Analyst Rants

Guest:

Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021

Zoom for Democracy | Domestic & Regional Politics | Artsakh Republic at 30 | Ep #106 - Dec 12, 2021 [EP106]

Posted on Monday, Dec 13, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, China, Israel, Syria, Genocide, Human Rights, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATO, Lebanon, Middle East | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 12, 2021

Topics:

  • Zoom for Democracy
  • Domestic Politics
  • Regional Politics
  • Artsakh Independence at 30
  • Analyst Rants

Guests:

  • Benyamin Poghosyan TW/@benyamin_poghos
  • Pietro Shakarian

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 106 | Recorded: Sunday, December 12, 2021

Pashinyan Live | From Sochi to Brussels | Normalization | Co-opetition | Ep #104 - Nov 28, 2021 [EP104]

Posted on Monday, Nov 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Syria, Economy, Georgia, China, India, Lebanon, Artsakh, Ukraine, Genocide, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 28, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan Live on Facebook
  • Trilateral in Sochi, Bilateral in Brussels
  • Turkish-Armenian “Normalization”
  • Russian-Turkish “Co-opetition” in Eurasia

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian TW/@hrant_m
  • Yeghia Tashjian TW/@yeghig

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 104 | Recorded: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211128.html

Armenia Attacked | Border Politics | Back to OSCE MG | Municipal Results | Ep #101 - Nov 14, 2021 [EP101]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Turkey, Israel, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Middle East, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union, Syria | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - November 7, 2021

Topics:

  • Armenia under wide scale attacks by Azerbaijan @0:55
  • Border Politics @7:20
  • Azerbaijan Returns to the OSCE MG @29:49
  • Municipal elections Over the Past Weekend @44:38

Guests:

  • Arthur Martirosyan TW/@ArtMart96 Hosts:
  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 101 | Recorded: Monday, November 16, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211114.html

5-year plan | Russia Arming Armenia | Press Freedoms Cut | PaneliTopics | Ep #86 - August 22, 2021 [EP86]

Posted on Monday, Aug 23, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Georgia, Iran, Economy, Syria, Israel, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, European Union | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 22, 2021

Topics:

  • The Government’s 5-Year Plan
  • Is Russia Rearming Armenia? Artsakh?
  • Press Freedoms Curtailed in Parliament
  • Topics from the Panelists

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian @qubriq

Episode 86 | Recorded: August 22, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210822.html

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War | Ep. #82 - July 31, 2021 [EP82]

Posted on Saturday, Jul 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Turkey, Economy, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: cog

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War

A Conversation with Dr. Simon Saradzhyan, Arthur G. Martirosyan, and Tevan Poghosyan

The disastrous outcome of the 2020 War in Artsakh has left Armenians in Armenia and around the world with many unanswered questions. Many long-time held beliefs about the capability of Armenia to defend Artsakh, and Armenia itself, were shattered on November 9, with the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement.

A group of more than 10 academics and researchers recently published a lengthy set of questions that are proposed as a basis for

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State of The Opposition | Update on Am/Az Border Positions | State of the Artsakh LoC (Ep #40) [EP40]

Posted on Monday, Jan 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Middle East, Turkey, Ukraine | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review Episode 40 - Jan 10, 2021

Topics Covered:

  • The State of the Opposition and their demands
  • Update on the Border Positions between Armenia & Azerbaijan
  • The State of the Line of Contact around Artsakh

Guests

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • George Tabakian

Your Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210110.html Recorded: January 10, 2021