Ahead of the meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan scheduled for next week in Brussels, official Yerevan today reiterated that the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of principle.
During a joint press conference following a meeting with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who is in Armenia on a regional visit, the head of the foreign policy department, Ararat Mirzoyan, also stressed that Yerevan expects that the military operations in Ukraine will not push the Karabakh conflict off the OSCE agenda.
«As you know, Azerbaijan has conveyed certain proposals to the Armenian side; we have considered these proposals acceptable, while stating that they nevertheless do not fully address the entire agenda of the issues. And we have completed this agenda with our proposals, adding that the issue of the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of principle for us. We expect that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship will nevertheless be able to organise peaceful negotiations on this agenda in the near future, with the aim of concluding a comprehensive peace treaty,» noted Mirzoyan.
«I want to reaffirm the Armenian side’s readiness to undertake steps to increase stability on the border and then also to embark on the start of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation process. I also want to note that, as you know, negotiations and consultations are underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the unblocking of road and economic routes, and here too we have come forward with proposals and are awaiting Azerbaijan’s response,» said Minister Mirzoyan.
Referring to the situation created in Artsakh, the Foreign Minister of Armenia reminded that last month, in cold weather conditions, Azerbaijan had twice cut off the gas supply to Artsakh, and since March 24, Azerbaijani armed forces have intruded into the Askeran region.
Mirzoyan once again stressed that, despite the exhortations of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the assurances of the Russian side, the Azerbaijani armed forces to this day continue to remain in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers.
The high-ranking European diplomat, who arrived in Yerevan from Baku, assured that the OSCE is committed to contributing to peace and stability in the South Caucasus: «I am seriously concerned that the security situation in the region remains very fragile, and this was one of my most important messages to the host side. Our conversation was focused on the situation in the region and on identifying ways to expand OSCE engagement with Armenia and in Armenia.»
Zbigniew Rau also noted that they support the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a comprehensive solution to all existing issues: «We hope that progress is possible, particularly in humanitarian matters, for example, the release of detained persons, providing information about missing persons, demining, and the preservation of historical and cultural sites.»
