Aliyev Accuses Armenia and Iran of Drug Trafficking; Pashinyan Responds

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, recently addressed an online meeting of the Heads of State of the CIS countries. In his speech, he referenced the trilateral statement of November 9th, the activities of Russian peacekeepers, and expressed gratitude to the President of Russia for his role in ceasing the 44-day war. He stated, 'The government of Armenia has set a goal to establish peace in the region, but there are many circumstances that cast doubt on that. To this day, people continue to die in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I propose to strengthen the trilateral mechanisms for investigating border incidents and maintaining the ceasefire regime.'

Pashinyan discussed Armenia's readiness to hand over maps of minefields in exchange for the return of Armenian prisoners of war. Regarding the topics of demarcation and delimitation, he noted that Armenia is prepared to begin the process. He also informed that hearings are currently taking place at the International Court of Justice regarding the case of 'Armenia versus Azerbaijan.'

Earlier in his speech, Aliyev accused Armenia and Iran of joint drug trafficking. In response, Pashinyan stated that the law enforcement agencies of Armenia and Iran cooperate in combating drug trafficking. 'I can also present figures showing that arrests and confiscations related to drug trafficking have increased 3-4 times. This demonstrates that the law enforcement agencies of Armenia and Iran are working closely together in the fight against drug trafficking.'