Baku calls on Minsk Group to present proposals on post-war peace process
By Aisha Jabbarova
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva has called on the OSCE Minsk Group to present proposals on their possible role in strengthening peace between Baku and Yerevan in the post-war period.
Abdullayeva made the remarks in response to the Minsk Group’s April 13 statement on the regional situation, the ministry's press service has reported.
Abdullayeva said that although the co-chairs welcomed the progress made by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders in implementing the November joint statement, most of their statement “is not focused on the most important issues for the new post-conflict period, but rather on a number of other ideas and elements.”
Abdullayeva said that Azerbaijan’s position in the post-conflict period is clear.
“Our priorities include the restoration, reconstruction and reintegration of territories affected by the conflict that lasted for 30 years, ensuring the equality of all citizens of Azerbaijan, including of Armenian origin, regardless of their ethnic, religious or other affiliation, living in these territories within the framework of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which will be restored as a result of this process and in all territories affected by the conflict. At the same time, the settlement of the conflict creates prospects for the establishment of normal relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the basis of the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders.”
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia since 1994.
The hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed after that latter started firing at Azerbaijani civilians and military positions starting September 27, 2020. The war ended on November 10 with the signing of a trilateral peace deal by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.
The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centres and historic Shusha city. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.