Azerbaijan's Premeditated Large-Scale Attack is a Sabotage of Peace Negotiations: Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan

The Armenian Foreign Minister, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, has given an interview to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera: You have clearly heard Azerbaijan's statement that they will not stop until they liberate this territory. They speak of a large-scale war. Do you consider yourselves to be in a large-scale war?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: What we hear from Azerbaijan is a choice of war. This is a sabotage of peace negotiations by Azerbaijan that is harmful to the peace process. It is a premeditated large-scale attack along the entire contact line between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. What happened this morning is a clear indication of Azerbaijan's intention to aggressively pursue its maximalist position, which threatens the safety of our people. We consistently affirm that the basis of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the security of our people, and today it was once again proven that we must ensure the safety of our compatriots—the people of Nagorno-Karabakh—who are determined to counter this aggression in defense of their security and freedom. This aggression is not only premeditated by Azerbaijan, but is also accompanied by extensive support from Turkey, which has a military presence in Azerbaijan, displaying its unilateral support for Azerbaijan and aggressive posture towards Armenia. This is extremely concerning, and it represents a large-scale escalation for which the Azerbaijani side bears full responsibility.

Al Jazeera: According to them, you initiated this tension. They claim that you were the first to strike at 06:00 or an hour earlier.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I completely deny this absolute disinformation, which is typical of Azerbaijan's approach. We do not intend to engage in actions that could escalate the tension. Armenia has been very firm in its position that a solution is only possible through peaceful means, based solely on compromise. We will not do anything that contradicts our declared intentions. As I said, our entire issue is the security of our compatriots. They are very steadfast and determined to defend themselves, and Armenia continues to be a decisive guarantor of their security. We urge Azerbaijan to put an end to this aggression, return to reason, and return to the peace process.

Al Jazeera: Can you actually stop them if they say they are preparing for large-scale war and liberating this territory? What position is Armenia in for defense?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Nagorno-Karabakh will defend every inch of its land and its security, and Armenia is the guarantor of all of this. The threat of force is characteristic of the Azerbaijani government and the regime in Baku, and it was last expressed in the UN General Assembly, and they are now simply manifesting it through their actions. Nevertheless, once again, they will be repelled.

Al Jazeera: Mr. Minister, you spoke about negotiations. How do you see this happening? Who would be the mediator, and how would the retreat be made from the unoccupied?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: There is an established format for negotiations. It is an internationally recognized format that includes mediators in the form of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group: Russia, the USA, and France. We are in constant contact with the co-chair countries at all levels. And we are working on the avenues through which we can return the situation to its normal course for the negotiating process. We are committed to that. However, this should not be confused with Armenia's and Artsakh's determination to defend us in both Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. The settlement must be based on compromise. The maximalist stance from Baku over the years has no place for advancement in the negotiation process. The Prime Minister of Armenia has consistently asserted that any solution must be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh, and Azerbaijan; that is, a solution based on compromise and not one that satisfies the demands of only one side. The latter is completely rejected. Azerbaijan has never reciprocated our call for a compromise solution; they prefer a military solution and aggression. What we are witnessing now is a manifestation of Azerbaijan's revanchist policies.

Question: Does the mechanism of negotiations you mentioned have the potential to bring everything under control? There are Russia, Iran, and France, who have urgently called for a reduction in tensions, but there is also Turkey, which directly supports the Azerbaijanis and seems to be more in a combative disposition. Can the existing mechanism overcome threats from any other actor?

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: A clarification: The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship is a framework of three countries: Russia, the USA, and France. In this context of negotiations, if Azerbaijan is making such 'decisive' accusations against Armenia, I call on them to immediately agree to the establishment of investigation and risk-reduction mechanisms and a monitoring mechanism for ceasefire violations, which we have insisted on for so many years, and which they refuse as a disguise for their military and aggressive intentions, and to engage in a game of accusations as they are doing now. If they wish to alleviate tensions, they should agree to these mechanisms. Even now they could agree to these mechanisms that could strengthen the ceasefire regime and ensure risk reduction. Therefore, we once again make this call, which has been completely rejected by Azerbaijan, while their proposed game of accusations that they are trying to impose on us will be fully rejected. They bear full responsibility for the current situation.