Azerbaijan’s inability to publicly speak about acceptable peaceful settlement solutions inadmissible: MFA spokesperson

Armenia Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded to the statement of the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov that “some statements about Nagorno Karabakh conflict and particularly “Artsakh is Armenia and that’s it” do not contribute to the formation of corresponding atmosphere for restoring the political process.”

“Armenia was and is committed to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship format the impartial and unbiased mediation of which is the guarantee for peaceful settlement of the conflict and unity of co-chairing countries. At the same time, we consider it important for each of the mediators to avoid giving selective and unilateral assessments,” the MFA spokesperson stated.

She noted that Armenia’s position is clearly expressed in all the speeches of the Armenian prime minister, including in the one voiced on September 24 from the UN chair in which the prime minister reaffirmed Armenia’s proposed formula of peace and mutual concessions.

“In this regard we consider inadmissible Azerbaijan’s inability to publicly speak about the peaceful settlement solutions which will be acceptable for the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan,” she said, adding that Azerbaijani claims about the settlement of the issue “in the frameworks of exclusively Azerbaijani territorial integrity” do not contribute to the formation of corresponding atmosphere for progress in the peace process.

Referring to Lavrov’s other statement about the exchange of corpses and exchange of arrestees, Naghdalyan said, “There was no exchange of corpses, the Artsakh side, as a humanitarian step, allowed to take the body of Azerbaijani serviceman. It is necessary to clearly register that Armenia is not viewing exchange of those arrested in the territories of two sides but comes up from the position of addressing individual case in the sidelines of humanitarian right.”