ArmInfo.The position of the Armenian side regarding the need to address the issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in the context of achieving long-term peace in the region has not changed.
This was stated by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, in response to a request to comment on the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following a trilateral meeting in Moscow that " Armenia is aware of the importance of convincing Nagorno- Karabakh Armenians to hold meetings with Azerbaijani representatives as soon as possible to coordinate their rights under the relevant legislation and Azerbaijan's international commitments, including numerous conventions on the rights of national minorities".
"We have repeatedly stressed that these issues should be resolved within the framework of the Baku- Stepanakert dialogue, and the effectiveness of this dialogue can only be ensured through international participation and an effective mechanism," Mirzoyan said.
To clarify whether it can be stated that the topic of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh was connected with the topic of protecting the rights of national minorities in Armenia during the negotiations, the RA Foreign Minister assured that the problem of resolving issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh has always been the cornerstone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , and during the negotiations with Azerbaijan on July 25 in Moscow, and before that in other capitals, the Armenian side raised and continues to raise the issue of ensuring the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"This issue, in fact, is also registered in the tripartite declaration dated November 9, 2020, which specifically mentions the concepts of Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh. The seventh paragraph of the same tripartite declaration also provides for the return of refugees to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and neighboring districts, which has not yet been implemented by Azerbaijan so far. We are talking here about Hadrut, Shushi, Martakert, Askeran, Shahumyan, Getashen regions.
Of course, the Armenian side also records the rights of Armenians who were forcibly displaced from various settlements of Azerbaijan in 1988-1991, particularly from Baku, Kirovabad, Sumgait and other places, before that also from the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan, and the issues raised by them."
However, the problem of ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the indigenous inhabitants of this region, is a completely different problem, which has a deep content and has no analogues. It cannot in any way be connected with other rights, including the rights of "citizens living in the Republic of Armenia" (in the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation), provided for by international obligations and fully ensured by the Republic of Armenia. Thus, during the last trilateral meeting in Moscow, there was no discussion beyond this logic, and even more so, there was no agreement," Ararat Mirzoyan concluded.
Referring to the statements of the Azerbaijani side that an agreement was reached in Brussels on providing Artsakh with food from Aghdam, the RA Foreign Minister recalled that Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan reached agreements on the Kashatagh (Lachin) corridor in 2020 by a trilateral statement dated November 9. He recalled that this agreement has the signatures of the leaders of the three countries. "We reaffirm our principled position that the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor must be lifted, and the regime established by the tripartite declaration of November 9 must be restored. The Republic of Armenia has no jurisdiction and cannot discuss issues related to other ways of delivering goods to Nagorno-Karabakh," the Armenian Foreign Minister summed up.
It should be noted that following the results of the trilateral meeting in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated:" Armenia is aware of the importance of convincing Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to hold meetings with Azerbaijani representatives as soon as possible to coordinate their rights under the relevant legislation and Azerbaijan's international commitments, including numerous conventions on the rights of national minorities.
Azerbaijan, acting on a mutually agreed basis, is also ready to provide the same guarantees to persons residing on its territory. Armenia is ready to act likewise regarding the application of these conventions to people residing in the Republic of Armenia," he said.