On 1 March, through the mediation of the commander of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping forces in Artsakh, the regular meeting of representatives of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan took place.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh issued a commentary on this matter. The commentary stated:
«During the meeting, issues of a humanitarian nature were discussed in the context of the need for the immediate opening of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. Through the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping forces, such meetings between representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan have been held numerous times at various levels, for the purpose of discussing technical, humanitarian and infrastructural issues.
The participants of the meeting did not discuss issues relating to the political status of the Republic of Artsakh. The comments made by the Azerbaijani side regarding the results of the meeting do not correspond to reality. The Republic of Artsakh maintains its commitment to its people’s choice of the path of self-determination and independence, which was affirmed in the referendum of 1991.
Similar discussions organised for the resolution of urgent issues, particularly the unblocking of Artsakh, cannot replace the full-fledged peace negotiations necessary for the comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. We proceed from the need to restore the international mediation format as an important guarantee of the irreversibility of the peace process. We reiterate that the position of the Republic of Artsakh that the results of the unlawful use of force and the threat of force by Azerbaijan cannot serve as a starting point on the path to establishing peace, stability and security, remains unchanged».
