Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday.
Russia has been attempting to schedule a round of talks between Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhum Bayramov, since the last scheduled meeting in December was called off by Armenia due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh.
“The issue of the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations was discussed. The Russian side underscored the importance of the swift resumption of the implementation of the November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021 and October 31, 2022 trilateral agreements, including the unblocking of all transport and economic connections in the region, the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, agreeing on the parameters of the peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, as well as promoting dialogue between public figures, experts and parliamentarians,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press announcement.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabakov on Thursday said that preparations are underway to organize a meeting with Mirzoyan and Bayramov, the Tass news agency reported.
Normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also on the agenda of talks on Thursday when Igor Khovaev, Russia’s OSCE Minks Group Co-Chair, visited Yerevan.
Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who held separate meeting with Khovaev both emphasized the need for the complete implementation of the trilateral agreements, especially the November 9, 2020 statement, which stipulates the unimpeded flow of transportation on the Lachin Corridor, which has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since December 12.
Both leader emphasized the details of the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the illegal blockade of Artsakh and chided Baku for violating the key aspects of the November 9, 2020 agreement.
On Friday, Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan also held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoygu, with whom issues related to regional security were discussed. The two ministers also touch upon military cooperation between Armenia and Russia.
