Thursday, May 4, 2023 U.S.-Hosted Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks End U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) hosting a meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (L) and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the start of their bilateral negotiations. Washington, May 1, 2023. Armenia and Azerbaijan have advanced “mutual understanding” on some articles of a draft peace agreement after four-day bilateral negotiations hosted by the United States, while acknowledging that their positions on some key issues “remain divergent,” according to official Yerevan. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that the negotiations held at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, VA, between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov ended on Thursday, with the parties agreeing to continue the discussions. In an official statement released late on Thursday the ministry added that while in Washington the ministers met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “The Ministers shared their views on the current situation and stated their positions on existing issues related to normalization of relations. “The Ministers and their teams advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent. “Both Ministers expressed their appreciation to the US side for hosting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties agreed to continue the discussions,” the statement said. Pashinian Highlights ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ In Nagorno-Karabakh On Visit To Prague Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (L) and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala during a joint press conference in Prague, May 4, 2023. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has urged the international community to give a “clear and targeted” assessment of the “humanitarian crisis” in Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that Azerbaijan’s actions to cut the Armenian-populated region from Armenia amount to “preparations for ethnic cleansings.” Speaking at a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala on an official visit to Prague, Pashinian said that the situation in the South Caucasus region remained tense and accused Azerbaijan of continuing its policy of using force and threat of force to escalate tensions on the border with Armenia, in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the Lachin corridor, the only road that connects the region with Armenia where Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint on April 23. “Azerbaijan’s decision to install a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor and the blockade of the corridor before that are a gross violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 and the interim decision of the International Court of Justice made in February,” Pashinian said. The leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a trilateral statement on November 9, 2020 on the cessation of Armenian-Azerbaijani fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh that claimed the lives of nearly 7,000 people on both sides in a matter of a little more than six weeks. Under the terms of the Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement Russia deployed around 2,000 peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and along a five-kilometer-wide strip of land connecting it with Armenia and known as the Lachin corridor. Yerevan and Stepanakert insist that Azerbaijan dismantle its checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor from Armenia and that only Russian peacekeepers remain there as agreed in the trilateral statement. Azerbaijan rejects the demand, insisting that the checkpoint was installed in response to Armenia’s “illegal use” of the road for military supplies, a claim denied in both Yerevan and Stepanakert. Authorities in Baku also claim that the roadblock does not obstruct the movement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenians in both directions. The United States, France and other Western powers have urged Azerbaijan to ensure free movement of commercial and private vehicles along the Lachin corridor, expressing concerns that the situation could undermine peace efforts in the region. Russia has also described Azerbaijan’s “unilateral steps” in the Lachin corridor as “unacceptable.” Earlier, on February 22, when the Lachin corridor was still blockaded only by a group of pro-government Azerbaijani protesters, the International Court of Justice ordered the Azerbaijani government to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions.” Authorities in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh insist that Baku comply with this ruling. Speaking in Prague, Pashinian reiterated that the current situation required a broader international presence in the region. “In this context, we consider it necessary that an international fact-finding group be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh and to the Lachin corridor. At the same time, despite all the difficulties, the Armenian government has adopted a peace agenda,” Pashinian underscored. The Armenian prime minister’s visit to Prague comes amid ongoing peace talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington. After meeting Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov in the White House on Wednesday, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the U.S. President, said Washington “welcomes the progress Armenia and Azerbaijan have made in talks and encourage continued dialogue.” Bilateral negotiations between Mirzoyan and Bayramov that began on May 1 are expected to end today, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expected to join the two ministers for a closing session. Pashinian reiterated today that Armenia is fully involved in the negotiation process with Azerbaijan and will remain involved in it in the near future. He said that Armenia seeks to have results and “not just negotiate for the sake of negotiations.” He expressed a hope that Azerbaijan “will abandon its policy of force and threat of force.” “We expect that the international community, too, will send a similar message to Azerbaijan,” Pashinian said. Besides meeting with Czech Prime Minister Fiala, on his two-day visit to Prague the Armenian premier is also scheduled to meet with Czech President Petr Pavel and the leadership of the country’s legislative body. Pashinian is also expected to meet with representatives of the Armenian community of the Czech Republic. U.S. Hails ‘Progress’ In Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks National Security Advisor to the U.S. President Jake Sullivan (file photo). A senior United States official has welcomed “progress” made by the top diplomats of Armenia and Azerbaijan that have been engaged in marathon talks in Washington this week to try to hammer out an agreement to normalize relations between the two South Caucasus countries. In a Twitter post after meeting the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on May 3, National Security Advisor to the U.S. President Jake Sullivan wrote: “Good to host Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov together at the White House today. We welcome the progress Armenia and Azerbaijan have made in talks and encourage continued dialogue.” Sullivan said that “a sustainable and just agreement will be key to unlocking opportunities for both countries and the region.” Earlier, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said that during the trilateral meeting Mirzoyan emphasized that Azerbaijan’s “withdrawal from sovereign Armenian territories” and “addressing the issue of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within a mechanism of internationally guaranteed dialogue” were key to a “comprehensive settlement and long-term stability in the region.” Earlier on Wednesday Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said that negotiations between Mirzoyan and Bayramov in Washington were scheduled to end on May 4. The U.S. Department of State said Secretary Antony Blinken was scheduled to join the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers for a closing session of their bilateral negotiations later on Thursday. U.S. Notes ‘With Disappointment’ Turkey’s Suspension Of Overflight Permissions For Armenian Airlines A FlyOne Armenia airplane at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport against the backdrop of Mount Ararat situated in modern-day Turkey (file photo) The United States has noted “with disappointment” Turkey’s announcement that it would suspend Armenian airline overflight permissions, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on May 3. “The agreement that had previously been reached between these two countries to resume air connections had been a very important confidence-building measure not just between these two countries but... for regional stability broadly,” spokesman Vedant Patel said during a press briefing. “It’s our sincere hope that Turkey and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well,” he added. Earlier on Wednesday Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara had closed its airspace for flights operated by Armenian airlines toward third countries because of Armenia’s “provocations.” He, in particular, cited the recent unveiling in Yerevan of a memorial to early 20th-century Armenian figures regarded as avengers in Armenia but terrorists in Turkey as the reason for the decision. “If necessary, we will allow planes into our country, but we will not allow airplanes and private planes to fly through our airspace while the provocations [of Armenia against Turkey and Azerbaijan] continue. If they do not stop doing this, we will also take other steps,” Cavusoglu warned, speaking on Turkish television. The monument to participants in Operation Nemesis, a 1920s program of assassinations of Ottoman perpetrators of the 1915 Armenian genocide and Azerbaijani figures responsible for 1918 massacres of Armenians in Baku was ceremonially inaugurated in central Yerevan on April 25, one day after Armenians in Armenia and around the world marked the 108th anniversary of the Ottoman-era Genocide vehemently denied by Turkey. Yerevan’s Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinian speaks at the unveiling ceremony for a monument to Operation Nemesis participants, Yerevan, Armenia, April 25, 2023. The Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministries condemned the event in Yerevan that was also attended by the Armenian capital’s deputy mayor. Ankara also warned that the “shameful monument” in Yerevan only damages the normalization process that Turkey and Armenia embarked upon in early 2022. “Turkey is sincere in its desire to normalize relations with Armenia, but the installation of the Nemesis monument in Armenia is unacceptable,” Cavusoglu said. Official Yerevan did not immediately comment on Turkey’s condemnation of the Operation Nemesis monument inauguration in the Armenian capital or its ban on overflights for Armenian airlines that began to affect air traffic still last week. But in remarks in parliament on Wednesday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian acknowledged that the closure of Turkish airspace for Armenian planes was a problem. “But whose problem is it? It is our problem. Those who block our routes have no problems at all,” he said. Pashinian said that the decision to erect the monument made months after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh reflected the desire “to avoid being called traitors.” “But by being always guided by the logic of doing so as not to be called traitors we actually keep betraying the state and national interests of our country,” he said. Mirzoyan Says Rights, Security Of Karabakh People Key To ‘Comprehensive Settlement’ Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (right, center) and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (left, center) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, October 2, 2022. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has stressed that addressing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within a mechanism of internationally guaranteed dialogue and Azerbaijan’s withdrawal from occupied sovereign Armenian territories are key to a “comprehensive settlement and long-term stability in the region.” He made the remarks at a trilateral meeting on May 3 with National Security Advisor to the U.S. President Jake Sullivan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Washington. According to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, at the meeting held amid U.S.-hosted Mirzoyan-Bayramov talks that began on Monday “issues related to regional security and stability and the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were discussed.” It said that during the meeting Mirzoyan “noted that the continuous aggressive policy of Azerbaijan towards Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia do not contribute to the efforts aimed at establishing stability in the region.” “Minister Mirzoyan stressed that Azerbaijan’s actions against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, hate speech expressed at the highest level and open threats of use of force testify to Azerbaijan’s intention and real threat to subject Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing. “It was emphasized that the withdrawal of the troops, the border delimitation between the two countries based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, as well as the addressing of the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within the mechanism of internationally guaranteed dialogue are key to a comprehensive settlement and establishing long-term stability in the region,” the Armenian ministry said in a statement. Earlier on Wednesday Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said that negotiations between Mirzoyan and Bayramov in Washington were scheduled to end on May 4. Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.