Pashinyan accuses Azerbaijan of trying to incite new clashes in Karabakh
YEREVAN, July 17. / ARKA /. Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated today that a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable and suspected Azerbaijan of preparing new provocations.
"The use of force and massive crimes cannot resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as its settlement is possible only through negotiations within the only format - the internationally mandated co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group," Pashinyan said on Sunday in Yerevan at a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel.
He again referred to the statement issued on April 13 by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, calling on the parties to resume high-level political dialogue at the earliest opportunity and achieve a final, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the co-chairs.
“I have repeatedly publicly welcomed this statement on the resumption of peace negotiations, stressing that Armenia is ready to resume negotiations, but Azerbaijan did not react in any way. According to information from unofficial sources, Azerbaijan intends to unleash new military clashes in Artsakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, manifested today on the Nakhichevan section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, " Pashinyan said.
According to him, the provocations by Azerbaijan also do not allow starting the process of delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Pashinyan also called for immediate return without preconditions of the Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other persons held in Azerbaijan as required by international humanitarian law, as well as the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020.
"I want to emphasize that Azerbaijan's failure to return prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees is not the only case of its violation of the trilateral statement of November 9," Pashinyan stressed.
In turn, Michel declared the EU's readiness to assist the OSCE Minsk Group and called for avoiding aggressive rhetoric.
"As for the prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan, in recent weeks the European Union discussed this issue and the question of minefields with other partners. We hope that it will be possible to move responsibly and positively on this issue," Michel said.
Michel also called for starting negotiations on the delimitation and demarcation of the border. "We believe that it would be useful if both sides withdraw troops from the disputed territories so that discussions can be held," he said.
Michel pointed to the possibility of discussing cooperation, including in the field of transport. "Perhaps there are other areas where you can start regional processes to promote economic growth and dialogue," he said.
The fourth important issue, according to him, is the issue of status in a broader format and the preservation of cultural heritage with the participation of UNESCO. -0-
