Ararat Mirzoyan Responds to Aliyev

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, provided responses to questions from the Armenpress news agency.

- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated yesterday in his speech that Armenia is not sincere in the peace process. How would you comment on that?

- The Armenian government has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to contribute to the establishment of long-term stability and peace in the South Caucasus. At the same time, it is evident that these efforts cannot be one-sided, and Azerbaijan must also take effective and sincere steps in this direction. The establishment of peace cannot be the result of the efforts of only one side, and peace negotiations cannot be based solely on the proposals of one party.

It is also obvious that for the success of these efforts, existing issues that are the root cause of the conflict must be addressed and resolved in a manner acceptable to all parties. In this context, the statements from official Baku regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue are at least not understandable or, moreover, cast doubt on the sincerity of the Azerbaijani authorities’ intentions to achieve peace.

Regardless of the statements made, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue continues to exist as long as there are no adequate guarantees for the protection of the security and all rights of the Armenians of Artsakh and the related status issues of Nagorno-Karabakh. In the modern world, the situation created by the use of force cannot be a solution to the problem.

The claim that there is no longer a Nagorno-Karabakh due to the use of force does not speak to Azerbaijan’s constructiveness. It goes without saying that this does not correspond to either the factual reality, of which the presence of Russian peacekeeping forces to ensure the safety of the Artsakh Armenians is a crucial part, nor to the trilateral statement made on November 9, which clearly establishes the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The same can be said about the Azerbaijani authorities' statements regarding the non-existence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship format. First of all, no one has suspended the international mandate of the co-chairmanship, which aims to contribute to the political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and without a corresponding decision from the international institution that defines it, it cannot be suspended either. In that case, it is unclear why, if the parties genuinely wish to negotiate in good faith and find mutually acceptable solutions to achieve stable and comprehensive peace, these negotiations should not take place precisely within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, a format that has clear support from the international community, and not leveraging its expertise and potential would be illogical and unreasonable.

- Ilham Aliyev also claims that the Armenian side is delaying the unblocking process in the region. What would you say about this?

- We have constantly stated that we are interested in the opening of all transportation and economic infrastructures in the region. This is evidenced by the trilateral statements adopted on January 11 and November 26, 2021, with the mediation of the Russian side, as well as the agreements reached in Brussels.

I want to specifically emphasize that Armenia has been consistently involved in the discussions in good faith, and the process would have proceeded much more smoothly and quickly if it were not for Azerbaijan’s statements regarding the extra-territorial corridor, which have no relation to either the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, or the obligations assumed in the aforementioned statements.

As for Azerbaijan’s efforts to identify the routes of the Lachin corridor and the unblocking of transportation in the region, these cannot clearly carry the same status, at least based on the provisions of the trilateral statement signed on November 9, which clearly defines the status of the Lachin corridor. Moreover, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic have different statuses, differing neighbors, and different security environments. Accordingly, their connections with Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be identical either.

I would like to reiterate that the November 9 statement provides for the unblocking of all infrastructures in the region, whereas Azerbaijan is delaying steps in this direction. We are ready for the regional unblocking within the framework of agreements reached regarding the sovereignty of the countries and the jurisdiction over roads, and the recent negotiations that took place in Moscow between the deputy prime ministers of the two countries proceeded precisely within this logic.