Ararat Mirzoyan Presents Armenia's 'Red Lines' in Peace Agreement Talks with Azerbaijan

The clarification of the parameters for a comprehensive peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, its development, and consequently its signing, could take place through the political resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or as a result thereof. This was stated by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to a question from an Austrian agency reporter regarding Armenia's 'red lines' in the peace agreement discussions with Azerbaijan.

In response to the question, the foreign minister emphasized the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, highlighting that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship is the international format that has been established and endowed with the exclusive mandate to find a political resolution to the conflict, and as long as this resolution is not found, the parties must continue negotiations within this format.

“I reiterate—finding a political resolution or one of its outcomes is precisely the clarification of the parameters for a comprehensive peace agreement, developing such an agreement, and consequently signing it. Here, I also want to stress the importance of recalling the principles that this co-chairmanship has developed over the years, one of which concerns the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly the right to self-determination. Another principle is the non-use of force, which, unfortunately, was grossly violated during 2020, and now not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, and not only the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, but the entire world must decide whether the non-use of force remains a fundamental principle in the world or whether states may allow the use of force and threats to resolve crucial issues and determine the destinies of peoples, because if the rule is violated for one, it probably opens the door for others to go down that path,” Ararat Mirzoyan explained.