Tuesday, August 27 2019 11:21

ArmInfo. The "velvet revolution" in Armenia was away from geopolitical landmarks and the best proof of this is that Yerevan did not take foreign policy steps  to change the balance of global forces, guided by building relations  with all countries on the basis of the principle of sovereignty.  Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mntsakanyan stated on August 27 at  the annual meeting of the heads of the central apparatus and bodies  of the foreign diplomatic service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  of Armenia.

"Armenia, both in the matter of peaceful settlement of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in building interaction with global  external forces, is guided by the goals of preserving regional peace  and security.  Preserving and strengthening peace and security in the  South Caucasus proceeds from the interests of all the peoples of the  region," said the Armenian Minister, adding that "we were  eyewitnesses of the grave consequences of the collapse of the  security system in neighboring regions," for the peoples, economies  and statehoods of the countries of these regions.

According to him, maintaining the military-political balance is a  necessary element of ensuring peace and security of our region and  Armenia is making consistent efforts in this direction.  At the same  time, the Armenian Foreign Minister emphasized that Azerbaijan's  attempts to disrupt this balance, which to this day have included  also the use of force are a threat to regional peace and security.   Mnatsakanyan recalled that Armenia favors a peaceful settlement of  the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, however, it cannot accept the obvious  or hidden use of force or an encroachment on the ceasefire by  Azerbaijan. "In conditions of tension, Azerbaijan's negotiating  efforts hinder the formation of an atmosphere conducive to peace and  therefore do not contribute to finding a long-term solution to the  conflict," the Armenian Foreign Minister said, recalling that  Azerbaijan with its long-lasting Armenian- phobic policy continues to  be a threat to the peaceful existence of the people of Artsakh.  At  the same time, the chief diplomat of Armenia assured that there are  no alternatives to peace and RA and Artsakh are strong enough to  ensure peace. He also stated that Armenia highly appreciates  mediation efforts of the mediation missions of the OSCE Minsk Group  on finding a way out of the conflict and ensuring regional peace. The  Armenian minister once again reminded that Armenia clearly formulated  its approaches and principles for the settlement of the Karabakh  conflict. In this regard, he recalled the clear messages of the Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent during his speeches on Renaissance  Square in Stepanakert and at a meeting of the Security Council of the  Republic of Armenia. "In the Karabakh conflict, security and status  issues are of priority importance. Armenia cannot go to such a  resolution of the conflict that would jeopardize the security of the  people of Artsakh and limit the scope for the realization of the  right to self-determination. The right of the people of Artsakh to  self-determination and inalienable human rights applicable under any  conditions also envisage free expression of will, which in turn  presupposes the free conduct of electoral processes in  Nagorno-Karabakh, and the practical involvement of the authorities,  formed on basis of these elections into the negotiation process.  If  Azerbaijan is sincerely interested in resolving the conflict, it  should be equally interested in holding talks with the elected  authorities of Artsakh, "the Armenian Foreign Minister is convinced.