ArmInfo. It is obvious that the Vienna and Saint Petersburg agreements are not implemented due to Azerbaijan's fault, Armenia's Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated at the press conference with Andrei Galbur, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova on November 16 in Yerevan.
At the same time the Armenian Minister noted that Azerbaijan attempts to mislead international community and disrupt the truth in order to escape implementation of agreements.
"After the meeting in Vienna Azerbaijan stated that statements made by the ministers of the co-chairing countries are their own opinions. Possibly, Baku did not expect that it will find itself in quite embarrassing situation, when after the meeting in Saint Petersburg a new statement was adopted on presidential level, which reaffirmed adherence to implementing Vienna agreements. But if no agreements had been reached in Vienna what did Azerbaijani president confirm in Saint Petersburg?" Nalbandian wondered.
At the same time the Armenian Minister recalled that an agreement was reached in Vienna summit on creating mechanisms for investigating incidents and expanding mandate of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
Nalabandian stated that the situation was the same after the meeting in Bern in December 2015. "After that meeting a statement was made that Armenia and Azerbaijan's Presidents assist the efforts of the Co-Chairs aimed at creating mechanisms for investigating incidents. After this Azerbaijan made a statement that there are no agreements. How come that everyone understands one thing, and Azerbaijan another? Besides, back in September the Co-Chairs urged Azerbaijan to do the same as Armenia, particularly to agree on creating mechanisms for investigation of incidents", the Foreign Minister of Armenia stated.
Nalbandian also noted that on June 3 the Co-Chairs made a statement, in which they informed that during the meetings with Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on June 2 and May 31 respectively, two projects were given to them related to mechanisms of investigating incidents and expanding the team of Ambassador Kasprzyk developed by the Co-Chairs based on the agreements reached
in Vienna.
"It turns out that the Co-Chairs have developed them basing on non-existing agreements. Unfortunately, Baku rejected these projects and continues to state that the matter concerned fulfilling agreements after "withdrawal of Armenian troops". But if this were true, why would Baku refuse to fulfill them? This is an evidence of Azerbaijan's' attempts to falsify the facts", the Armenian Minister noted. In this context he added that Azerbaijan has the same stand on the issue of expanding the office of Personal Representative of OSCE-Chairperson-in-Office.
"This is the current situation around the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg summits, which were held after the April aggression aimed at creating conditions for continuing negotiations. However, Azerbaijan opposes them in every possible way. There is a strange impression that Baku is guided by principles of soup-opera script writers- the more complicated the situation is the longer status quo will last. However, neither Armenia nor Nagorno Karabakh support status quo. We are for exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict based on the relevant international norms and principles", the Foreign Minister of Armenia summarized.
To recall, the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met in Saint Petersburg on June 20 2016 at the behest of Vladimir Putin. Reaching a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the subject of discussion at the meeting, which took place behind closed doors. Following the consultations, the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to normalizing the situation on the line of contact and giving their approval to an increase in the number of OSCE observers working in the conflict zone. The joint statement also expresses the parties' commitment to putting in place the conditions required for steady progress in negotiations on a political settlement to the conflict. The presidents made a point of their regular contacts on Karabakh and agree to continue them in such format as addition to the efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs who were invited to the final stage of the meeting in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the investigative mechanisms at the present stage of the settlement are irrelevant and the issue can be discussed after "withdrawal of Armenian troops from the NKR". He also stressed that the Office of the OSCE CiO Personal Representative can be expanded by no more than 12-13 people. Following the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg, france expressed willingness to host the next meeting on Karabakh in August 2016, but no meeting was oirganized.