Escalation of situation and targeting of civilians condemnable and unacceptable – Armenian FM

Armenia always stresses the necessity of peaceful regulation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and works on formation of corresponding atmosphere, Foreign Minister of Armenian Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said, speaking to reporters in Karabakh.

Asked about the upcoming military drills in Azerbaijan, Armenian FM said that Armenia moves toward peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“What happened during this period does not promote the formation of such atmosphere, neither do Azerbaijani military rhetoric, nor actions. Escalations, targeting of civilians are condemnable and unacceptable actions,” he said, adding that both Armenia and Karabakh are able to defend but it is not the objective of the two countries.

“We should avoid the crisis, the situation that may cause a disaster in the region. No one will win from it. It is necessary to understand it clearly,” Mnatsakanyan said, adding that it harms the peace talks.

Asked whether the details of the meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart have been clarified or not, the Armenian FM said they remain committed to the peaceful process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group and will state about the upcoming meeting in an agreed format.