Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held separate meetingswith UN Secretary-General António Guterres and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis in Yerevan on October 15, discussing the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, regional connectivity, international cooperation and bilateral relations. The meetings took place as Armenia hosted the Leaders’ Summit within the framework of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), bringing senior international officials to Yerevan for discussions on both environmental cooperation and regional security.

During his meeting with Guterres, Pashinyan welcomed the UN’s continued engagement with Armenia and highlighted eight years of cooperation with the organization, noting that significant changes had taken place in the region and internationally during that period. Pashinyan also stressed the importance of multilateralism, warning that unilateral approaches by international actors were contributing to an increasingly complicated global situation. Guterres praised Armenia’s organization of the COP17 summit and commended its diplomatic efforts to bring together countries with differing positions. He described Armenia’s ability to facilitate agreement in difficult negotiations as evidence of its diplomatic capacity and highlighted Pashinyan’s personal contribution to efforts to establish peace with Azerbaijan. The two leaders also talked about the implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), emphasizing its potential to reopen regional transport  routes and promote cooperation across the South Caucasus. The meeting’s agenda and statements also covered preparations for COP17 and wider regional developments.

The question of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan was raised separately during Guterres’s press conference in Yerevan. Asked whether the UN would take concrete steps to secure their release, the secretary-general stated that the matter was of great interest to the organization. Guterres underlined the need to accelerate implementation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement and resolve outstanding issues, including humanitarian concerns and the question of prisoners, but did not announce a specific UN initiative.

Pashinyan also received Cassis,who serves as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and heads Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Their talks focused on regional developments and the development of Armenia-Switzerland relations, including political, economic and humanitarian cooperation. Pashinyan reiterated that the peace and normalization process is an absolute priority for his government. Cassis welcomed the progress made towards establishing peace and expressed hope that the agreement would be signed as soon as possible.

Cassis also met Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, with whom he discussed the peace process, regional cooperation and the OSCE’s future role in the South Caucasus. Mirzoyan stated that Armenia was seekingto develop new areas of cooperation with the organization in light of the changing regional situation. He briefed Cassis on developments in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and emerging cooperation between the two countries, while both sides examined opportunities to expand collaboration in the OSCE’s economic and environmental dimensions. Mirzoyan also highlighted Switzerland’s ongoing support for forest restoration, climate change initiatives and reforms to Armenia’s democratic institutions. Cassis, meanwhile, said that the OSCE remained valuable as a platform for dialogue even when participating countries held fundamentally different positions, arguing that continued engagement was necessary to reduce tensions and rebuild trust. At a joint press conference with Mirzoyan, Cassis framed sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a realistic prospect following the initialing of the agreement, while acknowledging that challenges remained, particularly on humanitarian issues.