Formation of an international dialogue mechanism between Stepanakert and Baku is the most constructive scenario for overcoming the situation, and all efforts should be made in this direction, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the government sitting today.
He noted that the meeting in Brussels with EU Council President Charles Michel and Azerbaijani President did not yield any concrete results in terms of opening the Lachin Corridor and overcoming the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In his statement following the meeting, the President of the European Council emphasized the need to open the Lachin Corridor, as well as the need to address the rights and security agenda of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians through dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku.
“Our belief was and continues to be that without international involvement and mechanisms, this dialogue cannot be effective, at least because Baku continues its aggressive and threatening rhetoric towards the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose ultimate goal, in our estimation, is the implementation of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” PM Pashinyan said.
“Now it is not a theoretical claim, but a concrete plan being implemented by illegally blocking the Lachin Corridor, the direct manifestation of which is the complete lack of supply of electricity, natural gas, food and other essential goods to Nagorno Karabakh, in order to make it impossible for Armenians to live in Nagorno Karabakh. It is regrettable to emphasize that the legally binding decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, obliging Azerbaijan to open the Lachin Corridor, have not been implemented to date. However, we must continue working in this direction. It is also necessary to carry out efforts to cover the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as widely as possible in the international press,” he continued.
The next issue discussed in Brussels was the reaffirmation by Armenia and Azerbaijan of the recognition of each other’s territorial integrity of 29,800 and 86,600 square kilometers.
“Delimitation of borders should take place on the basis of the Almaty Declaration of 1991 and in the near future, we must specify the cartographic basis of the delimitation process. The opening of communications of the regions, as stated in the statement of the President of the European Council, should take place on the basis of the principle of sovereignty, jurisdiction and equality of the parties,” Nikol Pashinyan stated.
As for humanitarian issues, he noted that Azerbaijan continues to break its promises given to international partners on the issue, but “we must tirelessly continue the work towards the return of the prisoners and the clarification of the fate of the missing persons.”
While noting that there were no specific results from the Brussels meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized that “the negotiation process should continue as intensively as possible and active efforts should be made to find mutually acceptable solutions.”
“At the moment, our task is to draw greater international attention to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh through diplomatic methods and by presenting the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in the international press and social networks as widely and objectively as possible. During this period, the need to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh has become even more acute. At the same time, the formation of an international dialogue mechanism between Stepanakert and Baku is the most constructive scenario for overcoming the situation, and all efforts should be made in this direction,’ he concluded.
