Baku’s rhetoric challenges Armenia’s sovereignty and threatens lasting peace in the region, says Mirzoyan

 18:22,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS.  Rhetoric and statements of the high-level Azerbaijani officials continue challenging the rule-based order, territorial integrity, sovereignty of Armenia and, hence, the prospects of lasting peace in the region.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan announced this on January 19, in Zagreb, during a joint press conference with the Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman.

“Today we exchanged views on international and regional security topics. I thoroughly updated my counterpart on the situation in the South Caucasus. As mentioned, we had earlier opportunities to discuss Armenia’s vision of establishing stability and peace in the region, efforts aimed at overcoming the challenges and developing regional connectivity. Unfortunately, we see rhetoric and statements of the high-level Azerbaijani officials that continue challenging the rule-based order, territorial integrity, sovereignty of Armenia and, hence, the prospects of lasting peace in the region,” the foreign ministry quoted Mirzoyan as saying.

We believe our partners interested in stability in the South Caucasus share the same approach, that peace requires unwavering commitment and genuine interest in lasting solutions. Armenia’s position has been very clear on possible solutions based on well-known principles and agreements. Countries should recognize each other's territorial integrity without any ambiguity.

The peace treaty should provide clear foundations regarding the further delimitation process, which, according to our belief, should take place in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration and based on the freshest and legitimate Soviet Union maps. We also are sure that the connectivity that can be unlocked in the region, the economic and transport infrastructures could also help to advance lasting peace in the region.

 We believe that all the infrastructure should be unlocked according to and under the sovereignty and national jurisdictions of the countries and in accordance with the principles of equality and reciprocity.

 Moreover, to promote this idea of peace and connectivity, the Government of the Republic of Armenia came up with the initiative of “Crossroads of Peace”, which is, as I said, about unblocking the infrastructure, increasing the interconnectivity in the region,’’ the Foreign Minister Mirzoyan said.