12:28,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan has said that the Armenian-Azerbaijani foreign ministerial talks were a “productive” phase in terms of approximating the stances around a possible peace treaty.

Speaking at a press briefing on May 12, Hovhannisyan told ARMENPRESS that there are a number of issues that have yet to be discussed during the upcoming May 14 Brussels summit.

PM Nikol Pashinyan said on May 11 that Azerbaijan sought to nullify the progress in the Washington talks with its latest aggression.

Asked what progress the prime minister was referring to, Hovhannisyan said the progress pertains to the sides having a better understanding on each other’s stances.

“This was done. The American side did everything possible to create a positive atmosphere. It was truly a productive phase for bringing closer the positions around a possible peace treaty. Of course, there are a number of highly important issues that have yet to be discussed, and that’s why the highest-level meeting is being organized in Brussels, which will be followed by the foreign ministerial meeting in Moscow, and there will be other meetings as well,” Hovhannisyan said.

Speaking about the Azeri military attack on Armenian positions in Sotk on May 11, Hovhannisyan said that Azerbaijan has been behaving in this manner ever since the 1990s.

“I’ve been serving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1995, and I can’t recall a single phase of negotiations without such provocations taking place either before or after the meetings,” he said.