ArmInfo. The settlement of the Karabakh conflict is one of the priorities of Armenia's foreign policy agenda. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian stated this at the Foreign Ministry of Greece.
Speaking about his last meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov, Nalbandian stressed that it lasted 4 hours and passed in a positive atmosphere. "However, this is not enough, the meeting of the heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Geneva also took place in a positive atmosphere, but right after it, Baku returned to its militaristic policy," the RA FM said. He also noted that the typical manifestation of Baku's unconstructive policy is the fact that he did not join the statement of the Minsk Group's mediating countries (Russia, France, the United States) following the results of the OSCE summit. "And this is not the first such case," he said.
In their statement, the mediators once again confirmed the need to settle the Karabakh conflict on the basis of the three principles of international law (non-use of force, territorial integrity of states and the right of the people to self-determination). "These principles, together with the elements of conflict settlement, were developed by the co-chairs as a whole and they were agreed upon at the Athens summit of the OSCE in 2009, including with Azerbaijan, Armenia repeatedly stated its readiness to implement them," Nalbandyan said, that Azerbaijan meanwhile permanently renounces all agreements, including those from Vienna and St. Petersburg, aimed at reducing the escalation.
"The question arises of how to reduce the escalation when Azerbaijan renounces agreements, on the ceasefire agreement it signed, on the introduction of mechanisms to investigate frontier elements, and on the expansion of the office of the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office." Baku is trying to present, allegedly, these agreements - the result of the preconditions of the Armenian side, but this is not so, "the Armenian diplomat noted, noting that Yerevan has always been in favor of intensifying the talks. As Nalbandian stressed, the statement of the mediators following the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna and Hamburg once again proved that Baku's attempts to torpedo the agreements reached are doomed to failure. "Such a policy of Baku calls into question the confidence of the international community towards it," he said.
Nalbandian also recalled that the co-chairs confirmed their position on the continuation of the mediation mission to reach a solution to the conflict on the basis of compromises. "The axis of proposals of the mediators is a step-by-step solution to the conflict, which provides for the final determination of the status of Karabakh on the basis of the legally binding expression of the will of the people of Artsakh," Nalbandian said, confirming the readiness of the Armenian side to continue peace negotiations on the basis of the proposals of the mediators. "Negotiations have no alternative, but all that the mediators offer and with which the Armenian side agrees is rejected by Baku, and this torpedoes negotiations," the foreign minister noted.
He also said that in the second half of January, according to preliminary agreement, the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place, to which, as Nalbandian noted, Armenia is going with a constructive attitude.
"As soon as Baku begins to follow the appeals of the Minsk mediators, respect the agreements reached, adhere to the ceasefire regime and the proposals of the co-chairs for the settlement of the conflict, the opportunity will open for the promotion of the peace process and change of the status quo," the Armenian minister said.