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Armenian prime minister accuses Baku of ‘unconstructive’ rhetoric in Karabakh settlement

The prime minister noted that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible only within the framework of cooperation of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs

YEREVAN, March 16./TASS/. Statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev don’t facilitate the establishment of lasting peace and stability in the region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at talks with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde.

"Only constructive efforts and the creation of proper atmosphere can help achieve stability and long-term peace in the region," the press service of the Armenian government quoted Pashinyan as saying. "However, aggressive and unconstructive statements from the president of Azerbaijan are in no way facilitating this," he said.

"Many issues still remain unresolved, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, humanitarian problems," he said, stressing the role of the OSCE within this context, according to the press service.

The prime minister noted that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible only within the framework of cooperation of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs. With this in view, he stressed the necessity of giving a boost to the activity of the Minsk Group towards resuming a peace process, the report added. Pashinyan "emphasized the importance of specifying the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and exercising the right of the Artsakh Armenians to self-determination," the press service said.

The prime minister also stressed that the return of prisoners of war remained a priority for Yerevan. "The Armenian side believes that Point 8 in the November 9 statement must be put into practice without preliminary conditions. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan continues to hold hostage Armenian POWs and civilians," he noted.

Linden, who is also Foreign Minister of Sweden, stressed the importance of the activity of co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and efforts of her envoy aimed at the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of peace.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachinsky corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. Apart from that, a number of districts came over to Baku’s control.