At the moment there are no negotiations with Turkey yet, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with “Nouvelles d’Arménie” magazine.
– In September of this year, after a long break, the meeting between OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan took place in New York. Does this mean that the peace process has resumed, what prospects are there in this regard?
– Despite the statements of the top leadership of Azerbaijan that Nagorno-Karabakh and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict do not exist, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries, as well as many other states, share the position of the Armenian side that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to remain unresolved and should receive a comprehensive settlement through peaceful negotiations within the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship. The Republic of Armenia stands for the full resumption of the settlement process of the problem.
In this regard, we consider important the meetings held in New York, which, first of all, create an opportunity to discuss and find solutions to urgent humanitarian issues, which, in particular, relate to the repatriation of all Armenian POWs and civilian hostages, further clarification of the fate of missing servicemen and civilians, preservation of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories of Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijan.
The solution of these priority humanitarian problems will create the necessary conditions for the start of substantive discussions aimed at a long-term and comprehensive solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship on the basis of well-known principles and elements, including the right of nations to self-determination.
– Do France and the United States play any real role in the conflict settlement process today? Is there any noticeable change in the position of the MG Co-Chair countries after the war compared to the position they adopted before the war?
– Russia, the USA and France, as members of the OSCE Minsk Group, the only format with an international mandate for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, have always played an important role in the process of peaceful settlement of the problem.
During the 44-day aggression, the co-chair countries made efforts to cease hostilities, as a result of which a truce was established in the conflict zone on October 10 with the mediation of Russia, on October 17 with the mediation of France and on October 25 with the mediation of the United States, which, however, was violated by the Azerbaijani armed forces.
After signing the trilateral statement from November 9, the Co-Chairs, as well as high-ranking representatives of the Co-chairing countries, made statements on the further settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship, addressing a number of humanitarian problems created on the spot. In this context, I recall the joint statements of the Co-Chairs from December 3, 2020 and April 13, 2021, which clearly set out the priorities of the peace process, which can create a basis for resuming negotiations on the basis of principles and elements known to the parties.
We highly appreciate the joint and consistent efforts of Russia, the United States and France, both in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship and outside the format, aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and establishing stability and security in the region.
– What is Armenia’s position on relations with Turkey? Can we expect developments in this regard in the near future?
– The program of our government says that Armenia is ready to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions.
The absence of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey, the closed borders, as well as Turkey’s obvious involvement in the 44-day war, the statements made these days from Turkey about the so-called “Zangezur corridor” have their negative impact on stability in the region.
In his public speeches Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan voiced the point of view of the Armenian side that if Turkey is ready to normalize relations and take appropriate actions, Armenia is ready to discuss the possibilities of building bilateral relations.
At the same time, I want to note that at the moment there are no negotiations with Turkey yet.
– At what stage are the negotiations on the release of Armenian POWs?
– The first priority for us remains the speedy return of Armenian POWs and civilian hostages. After the ceasefire, more than 100 POWs returned to Armenia. Nevertheless, having grossly violated the requirements of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions and the 8th paragraph of the trilateral statement from November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan has not yet returned all the POWs.
Armenia is consistently working to repatriate our compatriots as soon as possible, and also uses all formats and opportunities to voice and promote the issue at international stands. The European Parliament, as well as the parliaments of a number of countries, adopted resolutions calling for the return of all Armenian POWs, the heads of many states, parliamentarians, dozens of human rights defenders and human rights organizations (Human Rights Watch, Freedom House) voiced the problem.
The Armenian side raised the issue of POWs also in the framework of the case of Armenia against Azerbaijan in the UN International Court of Justice. I would like to note that Armenia attaches great importance to this legal process.
