YEREVAN, July 15. /TASS/. Armenia is ready to resume the process of Nagorno-Karabakh regulation in accordance with the statement by the OSCE Minsk Group dated April 13, Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during a government session on Thursday.
"Azerbaijan is trying to create the impression that Armenia is against peace and against a peace agreement. However, Armenia has welcomed the statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs dated April 13 several times. I would like to remind you that three well-known principles form the basis of the Karabakh conflict: the people’s self-determination, the unacceptability of using force or threatening force, and territorial integrity," he said.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Tensions boiled over in 1992-1994 and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France, and the United States. The group also includes Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides remain at their positions, and a number of districts, including the Kalbajar District, come under the control of Baku. Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line and the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh.
On April 13, Aliyev stated that he is waiting for the Minsk Group’s offers on its further activity, noting that it can play a positive role in establishing peaceful life in the region. He noted that he considers the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over, so the role of the Minsk Group, which was established to resolve it, should be changed. On the same day, the Minsk Group called on the sides to refrain from mutual accusations and to start preparations for constructive talks.