Details of the Meeting with the Azerbaijani Side Discussed

In accordance with the decision made during the session of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh on February 28, 2023, a working group has been established with the aim of discussing urgent humanitarian issues with the Azerbaijani side. This was reported by the Security Council of Artsakh.

The group is led by Samvel Shahramanyan, the secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh.

Following an agreement reached through the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in the Republic of Artsakh, a meeting was held on March 1, 2023, at 11:00, at the headquarters of the peacekeeping forces, with the participation of Major General Andrey Volkov, the commander of the peacekeeping contingent. A similar working group formed by the Republic of Azerbaijan participated in the meeting, headed by MP Ramin Mamedov.

The agenda of the meeting included the following main issues:

1. Ensuring the uninterrupted supply of natural gas to the Republic of Artsakh and preventing further gas disconnections.
2. Ensuring the inspection of the section of the only high-voltage line entering Artsakh from the Republic of Armenia, which is under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces, and the possibility of conducting restoration work by specialists from Artsakhenergo.
3. Organizing a one-time visual inspection by an Azerbaijani professional group in the areas of the Kashen and Drmbon mines.
4. Complete opening of the Stepanakert-Goris highway.

In his opening remarks, the commander of the peacekeeping contingent introduced the participants of the meeting, representing the sides of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Then, the leader of the Artsakh group explained to the Azerbaijani side the mandates of his group, specifically discussing the aforementioned issues and seeking solutions regarding them.

At the beginning of the meeting, the leader of the Azerbaijani group tried to steer the conversation towards the necessity of integrating Artsakh into Azerbaijan, presenting potential socio-economic benefits that might arise in that case. However, the leader of the Artsakh group countered this by urging a discussion focused on the clearly presented issues. He also emphasized that such contacts on urgent humanitarian and infrastructural issues could not address the main issues of the comprehensive resolution of the conflict, which requires forming a format with broad international support.

It is noteworthy that the other members of the Azerbaijani group engaged in discussions concerning the four specific issues mentioned, and therefore, the course of the meeting fully adhered to the framework outlined in the agenda. As a result of discussions on all agenda items, specific agreements were reached, which the Azerbaijani side committed to report to its higher authorities and inform the Artsakh side about the results through the peacekeeping forces in the coming days.

During the meeting, an agreement was also reached on establishing a stable feedback mechanism between the parties. The parties agreed to initially publicize only general information, noting that the process is still in the working phase.

However, shortly after the meeting, the head of the Azerbaijani group gave interviews on his country's information platforms, in which he disseminated completely different, misleading information diverging from the actual content of the discussions, stating that the meeting addressed the issue of the Armenian population of the “Karabakh region” reintegrating into Azerbaijan.

This fraudulent narrative by Azerbaijani officials and media was unfortunately utilized by some representatives of the Armenian media, creating a false impression that discussions in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan contacts pertained to issues related to the comprehensive resolution of the conflict. Yet, as mentioned, the meeting on March 1, which also included the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, was devoted solely to discussing steps for eliminating the blockade of Artsakh and related issues.

The subsequent misinformation from the Azerbaijani side, claiming that the next meeting of the official representatives of the parties could supposedly take place in Ganja or Aghdam, and without the participation of the Russian peacekeeping forces, is also not true. We urge not to succumb to the fabrications of the Azerbaijani propaganda machine and to be assured that comprehensive information will be provided to the public regarding the processes and their outcomes.