Armenia hasn’t rejected proposal of trilateral meeting in Tbilisi: Foreign Ministry comments on Aliyev’s statement 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia commented on the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev according to which Armenia rejected the proposal to hold a trilateral meeting in Tbilisi at the level of foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

“We not only have not rejected, but also have always positively reacted to such a possible meeting, at the same time noting that work needs to be done to ensure the efficiency of the meeting”, MFA spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said in response to query of ARMENPRESS.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan responded to the statements of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev that Armenia is not sincere in the process of achieving peace, it is delaying the process of unblocking the region. The questions of ARMENPRESS and FM Mirzoyan’s answers on the issue are presented below.

Question – The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated in his speech yesterday that Armenia is not sincere in the process of achieving peace. How would you comment on that?

Answer – The Government of the Republic of Armenia has repeatedly proved its readiness to make efforts for the establishment of long-term stability and peace in the South Caucasus. At the same time, it is obvious that these efforts cannot be unilateral, Azerbaijan must also take practical and sincere steps in this direction. The establishment of peace cannot be the result of the efforts of one side alone, and peace talks cannot be based on the proposals of one side alone.

It is also obvious that for the success of these efforts, it is necessary to address the whole set of existing problems that have caused the conflict in order to find a solution acceptable to all parties. In this context, the statements made by official Baku that Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is solved are at least not understood or, moreover, cast doubt on the sincerity of the Azerbaijani authorities’ intention to achieve peace. No matter what statements are made, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue will continue to exist as long as the issues of security, sufficient guarantees for the protection of all rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, and the status of Nagorno-Karabakh arising from them are not addressed. In the modern world, the situation created by the use of force cannot be the solution to a problem.

The assertion that as a result of the use of force even Nagorno Karabakh does not exist, does not speak about the constructiveness of Azerbaijan. Needless to say that this, of course, corresponds neither to the de-facto reality, the most important part of which is the existence of Artsakh Armenians in Artsakh and the presence of Russian peacekeeping forces to ensure their security, nor the November 9 trilateral declaration, which stopped the war and clearly defines the existence of Nagorno Karabakh.

The same can be said about the statements of the Azerbaijani authorities on the non-existence of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. First of all, no one has suspended it or can suspend the international mandate of the Co-chairs to contribute to the political settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict without the relevant decision of the international institute defining it. In that case, it is incomprehensible that if the parties really want to negotiate sincerely, to find mutually acceptable solutions, to achieve a stable, comprehensive peace, then why should not those talks take place in the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ format? A format which has the clear support of the international community and not to using its experience and potential is simply not logical and reasonable.

Question – Ilham Aliyev claims that the Armenian side is delaying the process of unblocking the region. What can you say about this?

Answer – We have always stated that we are interested in opening all the transport and economic infrastructures in the region. This is evidenced by the trilateral statements adopted by the Russian mediation on January 11 and November 26, as well as the agreements reached in Brussels.

I would like to emphasize that Armenia has been involved in the discussions in good faith, the process would have been much smoother if there were no statements by Azerbaijan about extraterritorial corridor, which have nothing to do with the trilateral declaration of November 9, as well as with the commitments assumed by the statements I mentioned.

As for Azerbaijan’s efforts to draw parallels between the Lachin corridor and the regional transport routes to be unblocked, they obviously cannot have the same status, at least arising from the provisions of the trilateral declaration signed on November 9, 2020, which clearly define the status of the Lachin corridor. Moreover, Nagorno Karabakh and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic have different statuses, different neighborhoods, different security environments. Accordingly, their relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be identical.

I would like to emphasize again that the November 9 declaration envisages unblocking of all infrastructures in the region, while Azerbaijan is delaying in taking steps in this direction. We are ready for unblocking the region within the framework of the agreements on the preservation of the sovereignty of the countries and jurisdiction over roads, and the recent talks between the Deputy Prime Ministers of the two countries in Moscow followed this logic.

Secretaries of Security Councils of CSTO states discuss growing security challenges, threats during Yerevan session 

The session of the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of CSTO states has been completed in Yerevan on June 17.

After the session, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, who was chairing the session, told reporters that the Secretaries of Security Council specifically focused on global security challenges and threats and the situation in the CSTO responsibility zone.

Armen Grigoryan said that the session was held in a constructive and interesting environment.

“Today’s session is specific in a sense that this year is a jubilee year for the organization as we celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Treaty on the Collective Security and the 20^th anniversary of the foundation of CSTO, and on the other hand the session is taking place in the conditions of growing challenges and threats both in the world in general and the CSTO responsibility zone. Of course, this factor requires making effective decisions on time aimed at neutralizing these challenges and threats and ensuring the security of the CSTO member states”, he said.

The session also covered issues relating to counter-terrorism, joint creation of governing bodies, strengthening the organization’s military component, etc.

Armen Grigoryan informed that a number of documents were signed with the session results, which all have passed the respective procedures. Particularly, the Committee approved the draft decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council on giving a regional anti-terrorism operation status to the operational-preventive measures complex named ‘Mercenary’.

The Secretaries of the Security Councils of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) analyzed in detail the military-political situation at a globe during their today’s session in Yerevan, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said following the session, regretting over the current crisis in the global security system.

“Agreements existing for decades actually stop operating, and the level of mistrust between a number of leading players is approaching a critical juncture. Moreover, the security challenges and threats not only have not lost their sharpness, but also are showing trends of escalation due to the growing global uncertainty”, he said.

He said that the CSTO principled position on these issues remains the same that all disagreements and conflicts must be solved through political means. The organization addresses all powers with this call.

In line with this, Mr. Zas said, the CSTO is taking all necessary measures to strengthen peace and stability in its member states and is ready for the protection of its interests.

“The development of capacities of collective security forces and means, as well as the mutual partnership of special services and law enforcement agencies is one of the main tools to ensure the security of the member states and resist the challenges and threats”, the CSTO chief said.

He thanked the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan and his staff for creating wonderful conditions for holding the session.

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