Tuesday, Russian FM Hosts Fresh Armenian-Azeri Talks Russia - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow, . Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signaled lingering major obstacles to an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal late on Tuesday after hosting fresh talks between his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Moscow. Lavrov described the trilateral talks as “useful” but reported no concrete agreements reached by the three ministers. He said he stressed the need to end a grave humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor supposedly controlled by Russian peacekeepers. But he gave no indications that Baku agreed to unblock Armenia’s vital supplies of food, medicine, energy and other essential items to Karabakh. In his opening remarks at the talks, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the “illegal” blockade is “complicating the negotiation process.” Speaking at a separate meeting with Lavrov held earlier in the day, Mirzoyan expressed hope that “some solutions” to the crisis will be found during their discussion with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. A peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also high on the agenda of the trilateral meeting. “The path is not easy,” Lavrov said, commenting on prospects for its signing. “There are quite a few complex and important issues to be resolved. “The most sensitive of them was and remains the problem of guaranteeing the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in full accordance with the 1991 Declaration signed by the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Almaty. Its validity is confirmed today by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership.” Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks after hosting talks between his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Moscow, . The Armenian government, Lavrov went on, “understands the need to convince the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet as soon as possible with Azerbaijani representatives” and ascertain their “rights” in accordance with international conventions designed to protect ethnic minorities. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pledged to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev mediated by the European Union. In a clear jibe at Yerevan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that Pashinian’s move “radically” changed negotiation process. Lavrov indicated that Armenia and Azerbaijan are much closer to working out modalities of planned transport links between the two South Caucasus nations. But he did not say when such an agreement could be finalized by a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force dealing with the matter. Mirzoyan and Bayramov held two rounds of intensive U.S.-mediated negotiations outside Washington in May and June. Meanwhile, the EU’s top official, Charles Michel, hosted a series of fresh meetings between Aliyev and Pashinian in Brussels. Russia claims that the main aim of the Western powers if to drive it out of the South Caucasus. Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow “understands” the conflicting sides’ “interest” in not only Russian but also Western mediation efforts. “But there should be no attempts to artificially impose certain agreements not in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples but for the sake of nice headlines in the media and geopolitical and domestic political considerations,” he said. Karabakh Leaders Blast Pashinian’s Stance Armenia - People demonstrate in Yerevan in a show of solidarity with Nagorno-Karabakh, . Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership demanded late on Tuesday that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian walk back on his plans to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh through an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. It also said that the Karabakh Armenians will not give up their right to self-determination despite Azerbaijan’s seven-month blockade of the Lachin corridor and the resulting crippling shortages of food, medicine, fuel and other essential items in the Armenian-populated region. “Artsakh and the people of Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan,” the Karabakh premier, Gurgen Nersisian, told thousands of people who again rallied in Stepanakert’s central square in protest against the blockade. “Any oral or written statements by Armenia recognizing Artsakh and the people of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” Nersisian said. “As the ongoing events show, they are destructive for Artsakh and encourage new criminal acts committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh. Azerbaijan is openly demonstrating what awaits Armenians under Azerbaijani rule.” “We are demanding that the Republic of Armenia abandon its intention to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan and such an approach to normalizing relations,” he went on. “This approach cannot ensure peace in the region and a safe and dignified existence of the people of Artsakh. What is more, it cannot even guarantee Armenia’s existence because the target of the Turkish-Azerbaijani duo is not Artsakh but the Armenian people and statehood.” Nersisian clearly responded to Pashinian’s statements made at a news conference in Yerevan earlier in the day. The Armenian premier defended his policy on the conflict with Azerbaijan and said that “Armenia cannot decide the fate of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.” He chided the authorities in Stepanakert for their reluctance to embark on a dialogue with Baku on the “rights and security” of the Karabakh Armenians. Nersisian claimed that most citizens of Armenia do not support Pashinian’s stance and are “ready to declare that if need be.” The restoration of Azerbaijani control over Karabakh would lead to a “subjugation” and “extermination” of its population, he said. Pashinian already drew condemnation from Stepanakert as well as the Armenian opposition when he stated in May that he recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Red Cross Seeks Permission To Resume Aid To Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh - Empty shelves at a food store in Stepanakert. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday that it must be allowed to resume relief supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh which has been struggling with severe shortages of essential items due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor. “The civilian population [of Karabakh] is now facing a lack of life-saving medication and essentials like hygiene products and baby formula,” the ICRC said in a statement. “Fruits, vegetables, and bread are increasingly scarce and costly, while some other food items such as dairy products, sunflower oil, cereal, fish, and chicken are not available. The last time the ICRC was allowed [by Azerbaijan] to bring medical items and essential food items into the area was several weeks ago.” “Our humanitarian aid convoys are a lifeline for the population in this area. With these convoys blocked, our concern is that the humanitarian situation will further deteriorate,” the statement quoted the ICRC’s regional director for Eurasia, Ariane Bauer, as saying. “This is life-saving work, and it must be allowed to continue,” Bauer added, urging the conflicting sides to reach a “humanitarian consensus” for that purpose. The Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers stationed in Karabakh began sending limited amounts of humanitarian aid to Karabakh after Azerbaijan blocked commercial traffic through the Lachin corridor last December. Baku halted those relief supplies as well on June 15, aggravating the humanitarian crisis in the region. The ICRC has since been intermittently allowed to only evacuate critically ill Karabakh patients to Armenian hospitals. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said it “took note” of the ICRC statement while warning the Geneva-based organization against “abusing” its mandate. It also said the Armenian side has rejected its offer to supply Karabakh with basic necessities from Azerbaijan proper and the town of Aghdam in particular. Karabakh’s leadership has described the offer as a cynical ploy designed to facilitate the restoration of Azerbaijani control over the Armenian-populated territory. The ICRC noted in this regard that it is “not currently able to bring humanitarian assistance to the civilian population through the Lachin corridor or through any other routes, including Aghdam.” Its statement came amid worsening food and fuel shortages that have brought economic life in Karabakh to a standstill. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said last week that the region is “on the verge of starvation” and called for stronger international pressure on Baku. Armenia Can’t Protect Karabakh, Says Pashinian Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during a news conference in Yerevan, . Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Tuesday defended his recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and said that Armenia is not in a position to “decide the fate” of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population. “Our position is that Armenia cannot decide the fate of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and it follows the logic that Nagorno-Karabakh’s representatives themselves must be a party to negotiations, dialogue [with Azerbaijan,]” Pashinian told a news conference. “This is the agenda that we are furthering, bearing in mind that the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh should be discussed with the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh’s representatives in the format of a Baku-Stepanakert dialogue and within the framework of an international mechanism. And I think that the people, the representatives, the government of Nagorno-Karabakh will have an opportunity to address all issues preoccupying them within the framework of this formula.” Pashinian sparked domestic uproar in May when he pledged to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh through an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Members of his political team have linked the signing of such a treaty to an internationally mediated dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert on “the rights and security” of the Karabakh Armenians. Karabakh’s leadership and the Armenian opposition have denounced Pashinian’s stance. They say the restoration of Azerbaijani rule would only force the Karabakh Armenians to flee the territory. Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, insisted late on Monday Armenia’s leaders refrain from making statements recognizing the region as part of Azerbaijan. Pointing to the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Karabakh, Harutiunian said Baku is keen to “get rid of the people of Artsakh” through the blockade and “ethnic cleansing.” “Saying that the Armenian government must be banned from recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity effectively means banning Azerbaijan from recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity or … contributing to the Azerbaijani policy of not recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity,” Pashinian countered during his press conference. “I am the prime minister of 29,800 square kilometers,” he said, referring to Armenia’s total area. Speaking after Pashinian’s last meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted by him on July 15, European Council President Charles Michel said the two leaders reaffirmed their earlier “understanding that Armenia’s territory covers 29,800 square kilometers and Azerbaijan’s 86,600 square kilometers.” Azerbaijan’s total Soviet-era area cited by Michel includes Karabakh. Aliyev has not publicly confirmed recognizing Armenia’s existing borders. Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.