Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan made a lengthy speech at the meeting of the Council of CIS Foreign Ministers, in the final part of which he answered the latest statement by his Azerbaijani counterpart on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The meeting was held in a video conference format on the 12th May. The next meeting of the CIS Ministerial Council is scheduled for October 2020, in Tashkent.
In most of the speech, Mnatsakanyan congratulated the participants on the 75th anniversary of the victory of the USSR over Germany, reported on the difficult pandemic situation in Armenia, and evaluated plans for cooperation in the CIS.
In conclusion, Mnatsakanyan reacted to the issue raised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan E. Mamedyarov:
“I don’t intend to talk on this topic for a long time, we continue to work very intensively in this format. There is no alternative to a peaceful settlement, we are focused on practical work, we have been doing this practical work for two years and we intend to continue. Threats by force and use of force are rejected, and these accents that I heard today are categorically rejected.
The resolution of this conflict is based on the principle of compromise: this also means denying the maximalist position of either side, and comparing the obligations that all parties assume to achieve a balanced, lasting compromise.
With this attitude, we will continue to work within the framework of the peace process with the intentions of achieving an exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, "the Armenian Foreign Minister said.
He did not explain what the refusal of the maximalist positions of Armenia is. In the Armenian press, this passage of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is explained as the refusal of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia to unite in one state. They believe that the existence of an independent "Artsakh state" in the occupied land of Azerbaijan should be taken as a compromise from the Armenian side.
Mnatsakanyan’s speech was a response to the speech of Mamedyarov, who also participated in a virtual meeting of the CIS Ministerial Council.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan said:
“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not allow to fully and efficiently realize the integration potential within the Commonwealth and is the main obstacle to closer interaction of the CIS member states in the matter of countering new challenges and threats. Moreover, the realities prevailing in the world today require effective interaction and coordination of efforts of all states in relation to new challenges, threats to stability and security.
Azerbaijan is committed to an early political settlement of the conflict. Along with this, negotiations cannot continue forever and should not serve to continue and maintain the situation that arose as a result of the use of force, occupation and ethnic cleansing, "the Azerbaijani diplomat said.
He recalled the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, assuring that Azerbaijan has the right to restore territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.
"The speedy settlement of conflicts on the basis of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders will certainly contribute to regional and international security, social progress and strengthen economic cooperation in the region," Mamedyarov summed up his statement.
By Kamal Ali
Translated by Elnur Enveroglu