Ayvazyan emphasizes resumption of Karabakh peace process within OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship in conversation with UN chief

YEREVAN, May 10. /ARKA/. Armenia's acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

It said both men highly appreciated the effective cooperation between Armenia and various specialized UN structures.

One of the key topics of the conversation were the steps taken to mitigate the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) after last autumn 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

Ayvazyan was said to have stressed that Azerbaijan continues to politicize the issue of access to humanitarian aid and undermines the efforts of the international community.

Ayvazyan stressed also that Azerbaijan must release all Armenian POWs and other detained held as hostages.

Ayvazyan and Guterres also touched upon the need to protect and preserve the historical, cultural and religious heritage in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the introduction of effective international mechanisms to that end.

Ayvazyan called unacceptable the behavior of the Azerbaijani side to block the implementation of an international expert mission at cultural sites under threat.

During the phone call, Ayvazyan attached importance to the resumption of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. In this context, he also stressed the role of the co-chairs in overcoming the consequences of the war. -0-