14:56,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia doesn’t distinguish between the mediator platforms in the talks with Azerbaijan, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan has said.
Asked to point out the most effective platform for the talks, Mirzoyan said that the platform itself isn’t what matters, but rather the implementation of agreements.
“Actually, Armenia is interested to have any unbiased, objective and neutral mediation,” Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Belgium’s FM Hadja Lahbib.
“And we highly appreciate all efforts that are being made. Numerous important meetings take place in Brussels, I myself met with my Azerbaijani colleague in Washington at the mediation of Secretary of State Blinken. We have meetings also in Moscow, and elsewhere. Meetings take place both on the levels of leaders and foreign ministers. Just recently I participated in such meetings in both Washington and Moscow. We don’t distinguish between the platforms, what matters for us is for the agreements reached at the platforms to function and get implemented,” he said.
“For example, we still haven’t heard the Azerbaijani President’s public statements on recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity, whereas we’ve heard such statements during private meetings. This is very concerning, and it could mean that Azerbaijan has territorial aspirations against Armenia,” Mirzoyan added, emphasizing that not only doesn’t Azerbaijan implement the agreements, but it’s actions further deteriorate the situation. “While we speak about the fact that addressing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh must constitute a part of resolution and that expecting sustainable and lasting peace in South Caucasus would be unrealistic without it, we actually see a blockade of an entire nation, an entire region through the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor,” Mirzoyan said.
The Armenian FM said that Yerevan expects all international partners and mediators to follow up on the implementation of agreements that have been reached at their mediation.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.
Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.