MFA: Pashinyan's statement raises doubts about Armenia's sincerity

27 November 2018 19:11 (UTC+04:00)

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The recent statement by Armenia's acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, repeating the already expressed groundless idea of participation of the illegal regime, created in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, in the negotiations, even though aimed for internal consumption in the pre-election period, undermines the already fragile settlement process and demonstrates the true intention of Armenia to consolidate the fait accompli situation created as a result of the use of force against Azerbaijan, said Leyla Abdullayeva, the acting spokeswoman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Abdullayeva said that if Pashinyan is interested in the settlement of the conflict he would not create obstacles to the negotiations ongoing under the aegis of OSCE Minsk Group, where the direct participants are Armenia and Azerbaijan, as it is clearly determined by the 1992 CSCE (OSCE) Helsinki Ministerial Council decision.

"The controversial and unfounded statements of Armenian acting prime minister are an indicator that he would not go far from his predecessor in “designing the better future” for people of Armenia, and this raises doubts on the sincerity of Armenia in the run-up to the bilateral meeting discussed during the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' visit to the region," Abdullayeva added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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