The right to self-determination has been one of the cornerstones of the negotiation process, and cannot be removed from the agenda through the use of military force, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart  Jean-Yves Le Drian.

“By launching a military aggression against Artsakh’s self-determination, Azerbaijan and Turkey violated their international commitments, while Azerbaijan also violated its commitments in the peace process,” the Foreign Minister said.

“Since September 27, there has been a new watershed in the international community, as the international community has come to realize that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not just a territorial dispute,” he added.

Minister Aivazian said ethnic cleansing and war crimes were committed in all parts of Artsakh that came under the control of Azerbaijan, which once again proves the need to address the recognition of Artsakh’s right to self-determination.

Only in that case, he said, “will it be possible to achieve a just and lasting peace, and only then can we think of a new era of peaceful existence in the South Caucasus.”