The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan has slammed Armenia for obstruction to signing a peace treaty, accusing the nation of refusing to take part in the peace talks.
“The active phase for the signing of this (peace) agreement is now behind us. The Armenian side is currently preventing the signing of the peace agreement and we also saw that they refused to participate in the third round of negotiations,” Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at a joint news conference in the capital Baku with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, as reported by Daily Sabah.
During their meeting, the top diplomats talked about the current state of affairs in the South Caucasus region, and stressed the significance of tripartite accords, according to Bayramov.
They also delved into matters pertaining to the post-conflict period and endeavors aimed at reaching a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan. Bayramov noted that Azerbaijan is willing to engage in tripartite negotiations, but Yerevan has not yet provided a definitive response.
“The issue related to illegal activities of Armenia in the Azerbaijani lands, which was once occupied, should be discussed at the legal level. The peace deal has no impact on the signing process, but it is negotiated separately,” Bayramov added.
According to Lavrov, all parties reached an agreement last December to conduct the upcoming trilateral discussions in Moscow. However, Armenia notified Russia that they were unable to participate in the meeting.
Additionally, Lavrov emphasized that the Lachin road’s role, which links Armenia to the Karabakh area, must conform to the November 2020 tripartite proclamation, which highlights the significance of “facilitating the unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance and civilians through the Lachin road.”
“We are trying to achieve this through our contacts and primarily through peacekeeping forces. The establishment of any checkpoints there (in Karabakh) is not being discussed. However, it is possible to eliminate apprehensions, of the corridor not being used to serve its purpose, with technical means. We touched on that today,” he further said.
