Armenian parliament speaker reiterates call on Azerbaijan to start immediate peace treaty talks
YEREVAN, March 29. /ARKA/. Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan warned today that Azerbaijan's actions in Nagorno-Karabakh may lead to a new escalation in the region.
Simonyan was speaking at a meeting of the Council of CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly that convened in Kazakh Alma-Ata to mark the 30th anniversary of the loose organization comprising some of former Soviet republics.
On March 24 Azerbaijani troops invaded the Armenian–populated village of Parukh in the Askeran region of Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering deadly fighting with Karabakh Armenian forces. According to Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry, at least 5 Azerbaijani soldiers and three Armenian soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Azerbaijani troops partially withdrew from the area after the intervention of Russian peacekeepers stationed in Karabakh.
Simonyan stressed today that the use of weapons and strike drones by Azerbaijan once again resulted in human casualties.
"We expect the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh to take practical steps to resolve the situation, prevent new casualties and hostilities, and make Azerbaijani forces return to their initial positions as of March 23," he said.
Simonyan drew attention to the fact that post-war humanitarian and other problems have not yet been resolved in Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2020 war, reminding that as many as 38 Armenian prisoners of war and hostages are still held in Azerbaijan.
Simonyan said that the issues of preserving the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage in the territories that have come under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces are extremely important.
He also stated that the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of its inhabitants is fundamental.
"We have stated many times that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial issue, but a question of rights," he said.
In this context, Simonyan noted the importance of the full implementation of the three-way statements of November 9, 2020 and November 26, 2021 signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on ending hostilities in the conflict zone.
"Armenia emphasizes having normal relations with neighboring countries. We are ready for dialogue, which should lead to the establishment of lasting peace in the region. For this reason, reaffirming our previously formed position, we suggest Azerbaijan to immediately start negotiations on a peace treaty with Armenia," Simonyan said.-0-
