Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan assured on Monday that Yerevan «is interested in normalizing relations» and holding a meeting with Azerbaijan after the meeting between the sides in Brussels was cancelled.
«We continue to adhere to this (Prague) agreement and once again express our readiness to organize a meeting between the Prime Minister of Armenia, (Nikol Pashinian), the President of Azerbaijan, (Ilham Aliyev), the President of France, (Emmanuel Macron), and the President of the European Council, (Charles Michel), within a reasonable time,» he said in an interview with Armenpress.
The meeting between the President of Azerbaijan for December 7 in Brussels with the Armenian Prime Minister was suspended after the French President’s attendance was refused, as requested by the Armenian side.
Azerbaijan accused France of taking a pro-Armenian stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In October, French President Macron’s accusation of Azerbaijan of «starting a terrible and brutal war» there provoked a strong reaction in Baku.
Despite his readiness for a meeting, the Armenian foreign minister has emphasized Baku’s militaristic statements, «unfounded» accusations against the Armenian side and threats of use of force by Azerbaijan.
On the contrary, Mirzoyan has explained that «Armenia is fully engaged in substantive peace discussions.» «We hope that an agreement on this issue will be reached as soon as possible,» he has said, adding that the role of international partners is «important» in the process.
He also recalled that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are still on Armenian territory, so that «periodically provocative military actions are carried out». Thus, he defended that the situation «continues to be extremely tense».
«All our international partners should make additional efforts to curb Azerbaijan’s ambitions and preserve the fragile peace in the South Caucasus. The Armenian side is ready to do everything possible to find mutually acceptable solutions and establish a lasting and long-term peace in the region,» he concluded.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry on Sunday denounced a new violation of the ceasefire on the border with Armenia by accusing Turkish military of opening fire on its positions in Kelbajar, an incident denied by the Armenian authorities.
The two countries have been involved in several clashes in recent years over the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory with a majority Armenian population that has been the focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the region of Azerbaijan integrated into the Soviet Union.
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a cease-fire on September 15 and in early October agreed to commit to the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma Ata Declaration, through which both countries recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Following this, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed before Parliament that he expects the peace treaty with Azerbaijan to be signed before the end of the year.
