ArmInfo.At a meeting with a delegation led by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Margareta Cederfelt, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, presented positions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process, as well as the ongoing work to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
According to the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the Armenian Foreign Minister pointed to the role of the OSCE as the largest regional security organization and highly appreciated the cooperation with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as a parliamentary platform for dialogue on ensuring comprehensive, indivisible security in the OSCE area of responsibility.
At the same time, Mirzoyan stressed that, despite Azerbaijan's statements that there is no Nagorno- Karabakh, that there is no Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, there is a general consensus among the international community that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved.
The Armenian Foreign Minister also stressed that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should receive its comprehensive settlement within the framework of the only mediation mandate recognized by the international community - the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group.
He expressed concern about the ongoing anti-Armenian and militant rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities, provocative actions against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Mirzoyan condemned Azerbaijan's ongoing statements about claims to the sovereign territory of Armenia, which cast doubt on the sincerity of Azerbaijan's statements about achieving peace in the region.
The Minister recalled that Azerbaijan, in gross violation of international humanitarian law, continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians hostage, and also pursues a targeted policy of destroying the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the territories under its control. In this context, the importance of practical steps by the international community to fully address these urgent issues was noted.
It should be noted that yesterday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the opening of the IX Global Baku Forum, once agin threatened Armenia with new military operations if it does not fulfill the Azerbaijani agenda. Thus, Aliyev assured that Azerbaijan had settled the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and there was no need for more co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. "We have already been informed that the institution of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group will no longer function. It is time for them to retire. Thus, I want to express our position that any speculation in Armenia about the Minsk Group or in some another country only causes irritation in Azerbaijan. We have settled the conflict. The Madrid principles developed by the Minsk Group have been resolved. Now we need to think about ways to normalize relations with Armenia, sign a peace treaty," Aliyev said.
He also threatened Armenia with war if it refuses to provide the so-called corridor through the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia and continues to raise the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.