17:54, 2 February, 2022
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The process of resolving all issues resulted by the 44-day war and any other issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should take place within the framework of the OSCE, in particular, the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, ARMENPRESS reports Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Minister for European and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria, said during a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, answering the question what role the international community can have in the repatriation of Armenian POWs and ensuring the entry of humanitarian organizations to Artsakh.
Alexander Schallenberg noted that the will of the international community can never replace the will of the conflicting sides to reach a settlement.
“The will of Baku, Yerevan, Azerbaijanis and Armenians is needed to move forward in that direction. We know that the wound is still open, you mentioned the existing problems, the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh, the issue of borders. There are still some open issues, but I have the impression that the moods have changed a bit since my previous visit, I am more encouraged now than I was last summer as I see signs of moving in the right direction. I am speaking on behalf of Austria, the European Union, I hope the OSCE, that we are ready to help, but you must be willing to accept our help," said the Austrian Foreign Minister.
Responding to the Austrian counterpart's comment, the Armenian Foreign Minister agreed that no matter how much the international community uses its toolkit to encourage the parties to reach an agreement, it is essential that the parties first and foremost exercise that political will. And the whole world has seen that Armenia is ready, really wants to build peace in our region, to solve all the problems. But the problem, according to Minister Mirzoyan, is that by expressing that readiness, Yerevan always receives the exact opposite messages from official Baku.
"As an example, I can advise my colleagues to look at the recent statement of thepPresident of Azerbaijan. As in the past, I repeat today that anti-Armenian rhetoric, aggressive rhetoric, aggressive steps at the border, failure to solve humanitarian problems, such as the continued presence of prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, to put it mildly, do not contribute to a constructive atmosphere. I would like to add that though it was not provided by the trilateral ceasefire statement, however, the Armenian side provided Azerbaijan with maps of minefields, as we are not interested in the death of people, we have unilaterally resolved this issue," Mirzoyan said.
Mirzoyan also touched upon the issue of international organizations, again noting with regret that Azerbaijan shows a unconstructive approach to this issue, forcing international organizations, even the International Committee of the Red Cross, to put up with their policy.
"This is the only organization that has had a presence, an entry and exit to Nagorno Karabakh during these years, and now Azerbaijan restricts even this. I must summarize and reaffirm that we want a constructive dialogue, a solution to all issues, as you mentioned, with the aim of establishing peace, stability in the region, but a similar position of Azerbaijan is required here," he added.