"The Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh Remains Tense," Says Alen Simonian

"The incursion of Azerbaijani units into the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which falls under the responsibility of Russian peacekeepers, raises concerns. We hope that representatives of the Russian peacekeeping mission, who play a crucial role in ensuring the security of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, will restore the status quo established by the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020," said the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonian, during a meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

"The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to remain tense, and Azerbaijan continues to pursue an aggressive policy towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh," added the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Simonian emphasized that Armenia remains committed to all agreements reached on November 9, 2020, and subsequent trilateral statements by the leaders of the involved states. He pointed out that the unconditional return of prisoners of war and civilians detained in Azerbaijan, as well as the preservation of Armenian religious and cultural heritage in areas now under Azerbaijani control, remains a top priority for Armenia.

"I want to emphasize once again that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial dispute; it is a matter of the right of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live safely in their homeland. We believe that the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group should play a key role in advancing the peace process for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the same time, we call on the leadership of Azerbaijan not to undermine efforts aimed at ensuring stability and peace in the South Caucasus with their warlike and expansionist rhetoric," said Simonian.

He reiterated Armenia's commitment to establishing peace and prosperity in the region and expressed willingness to start negotiations regarding the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan. "We have enriched the agenda to achieve comprehensive peace with our proposals and submitted them to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group," the Speaker announced.

In his speech, Simonian expressed confidence that practical steps towards unblocking transportation and economic communications in the region should be based on the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries.