Video: Pashinyan Responds to Aliyev

As previously reported, today Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called for specific negotiations to begin with Yerevan to sign a peace agreement.

Aliyev also referred to the work of the OSCE Minsk Group, specifically noting that the group will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022 and then will retire, implying that the group will cease its activities regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

During a government session today, Pashinyan commented on the assessments regarding the cessation of the Minsk Group’s activities, stating, “If we note that in the days preceding our trip to Moscow, the Russian, American, and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group visited Armenia, we can say that the assessments regarding the dissolution of the Minsk Group co-chairmanship are unfounded. We clearly see that all co-chairing countries remain committed to their mandate for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, despite the fact that the events unfolding in Ukraine have created difficulties for joint activities of the co-chairs. However, the fact that even under these circumstances the co-chairs are active, visiting the region, and politically affirming their commitment to support the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue gives tangible grounds for optimism,” he said.

Aliyev also announced today that if Armenia refuses to sign a peace agreement, they will officially declare that they do not recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia.

Pashinyan focused on several issues related to regional stability and security in his speech today, stating, “We have reached important agreements on the principles of opening regional communications, confirming the alignment of approaches between Armenia and Russia. On this issue, we can note the common positions of all our international partners, and against this backdrop, I want to reaffirm Armenia’s readiness to initiate the construction of railways and highways connecting the East to the West through the territory of the Republic of Armenia as soon as possible. I hope that the trilateral working group addressing this matter will soon be able to develop and coordinate the necessary documents to start the process.”