Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan participated in the 18th session of the OSCE ministerial council in Vilnius.

On December 6, in Vilnius the 18^th session of the OSCE ministerial council took place. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan also participated in the session. 

Attending the session were also Foreign Ministers of 56 OSCE member states, as well as high-ranking representatives of over twenty international organizations. 

The session was marked by the joint statement on the Karabakh issue by the heads of delegations of the Minsk Group co-chair countries. 

Minister Nalbandyan met with the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Gianieri. The collocutors exchanged views on the OSCE agenda issues, the settlement of conflicts, decrease of tension in the Karabakh conflict zone and mechanisms to investigate incidents at the frontline. The officials also dwelt on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia. 

In the meeting with the chairman of OSCE Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the main topic of discussion was the 2012 parliamentary elections. The OSCE/ODIHR chairman highly assessed the ongoing reforms in Armenia and the amendments to the election code extending hope they will promote free, transparent elections. Edward Nalbandyan also met with the Minister of European affairs of the United Kingdom David Lidington. They dwelt on the steps to promote bilateral relations and regional issues. The British official welcomed the five-party statement on the Nagorno Karabakh issue settlement.