Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted that the meetings with Azerbaijan in Washington, Brussels and Moscow give grounds for cautious optimism. According to ArmenpressMirzoyan expressed this opinion during the government hour in the National Assembly
The head of the Foreign Ministry noted that there are no unimportant articles in the draft peace agreement, but if we group and divide the articles very conditionally, then one part is devoted to pressing issues, the other part is more of a complementary nature or is a derivative agreement arising from the main agreements.
He noted that it is easier to reach consensus and understanding regarding the second group.
“At the pre-Washington talks, we managed to agree on several such articles. At the talks in Washington, two more articles were added to the number of agreed articles. By and large, nothing is finally agreed until everything is agreed.
There is also a group of articles where this mutual understanding and reduction to a common denominator is visible, and there is a third group, and, unfortunately, this third group concerns the most pressing issues, here the parties are quite far from agreement, but I can say that today the last three round of negotiations give me cause for at least cautious optimism.
Yes, we are talking about the latest meetings in Washington, Brussels, Moscow, and I hope that they will continue in Moscow and Chisinau.
Even on the most important issues, much deeper, detailed discussions took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, which, I repeat, gives me reason for cautious optimism,” the minister said.
Mirzoyan also noted that the red line for the Armenian side is the recognition of the territorial integrity of Armenia, and he also does not imagine the settlement of relations with Azerbaijan if the threat of ethnic cleansing continues to hang over the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Of course, we do not imagine that Armenia can (generally realistically) regulate relations with Azerbaijan, have long-term peace in the South Caucasus, if the threat of ethnic cleansing continues to hang over the heads of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, if security issues, guarantees of all their rights, imperatives will not be resolved. There are these and other red lines, and negotiations in these areas continue,” Mirzoyan said.
