Wednesday, December 13 2017 15:30

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.