What the Security Council Secretaries of Armenia and Russia Discussed

Today, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, I met with the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, within the framework of a joint meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers of Defense, and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the CSTO. This was reported by the Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan.

Grigoryan noted that at the beginning of the meeting, after welcoming my Russian counterpart, I emphasized that the regularity of such bilateral meetings reflects the deepening of cooperation between the offices of the security councils of the two countries, as well as mutual interest in the development of security relations between Armenia and Russia.

We then discussed the situation created in the South Caucasus. In this context, I presented the situation resulting from the invasion of Azerbaijani armed forces in the areas of Armenia’s sovereign territory in the regions of Syunik and Gegharkunik since May, emphasizing that any manifestation of encroachment on Armenia’s territory is unacceptable. I added that Armenia is ready to start the border delimitation and demarcation process with Azerbaijan as soon as possible.

Speaking about the possibility of establishing long-term peace in the region, I emphasized that the government of the Republic of Armenia has declared a “peace era” that will bring sustainable peace and development opportunities to the South Caucasus region, highlighting the importance of unblocking all infrastructures in this process.

Nikolai Patrushev also stressed the importance of continuing work on the unblocking process, emphasizing that this will enable sustainable peace in the region.

One of the key issues of the conversation was the problem of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and other individuals held by Azerbaijan. I reiterated that according to the statement of November 9, 2020, all prisoners of war, hostages, and other individuals must be returned to their homeland. However, the Azerbaijani side has not fully fulfilled its obligations so far, expressing hope that, thanks to the efforts of the Russian side, it will be possible to ensure the swift return of all Armenian prisoners of war to their homeland.

In his speech, Nikolai Patrushev addressed the efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stressing the importance of activating the process within the framework of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group.