Amirbayov: Armenia should stop blocking peace process and return to negotiating table

The peace process is blocked by the destructive position of Armenia, which refuses direct negotiations with Azerbaijan and uses any pretexts to evade the peace process, Elchin Amirbayov, assistant to the first vice-president of Azerbaijan, said in an interview with France 24, Report informs.

Azerbaijan offered to sign a peace agreement with Armenia based on the fundamental norms and principles of international law, and one of these principles is respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of each other’s internationally recognized borders, he noted.

However, the peace process has been blocked for several months by the destructive position of the Armenian government, which uses various pretexts and misleads the world community with the help of the media and the capabilities of the diaspora, he added.

Azerbaijan believes that there is no alternative to peace, he noted. Sooner or later, these two peoples will have to turn the page of enmity and try to build normal and good relations based on absolute respect for international law, he said.

One of such pretexts for Armenia was the situation on the Lachin road. Touching upon this issue, Amirbayov noted that he didn’t agree with the use of the word “blockade.”

The Lachin road was not blocked by Azerbaijan. There is limited access due to the misuse of this road by Armenia more than two years after the signing of the ceasefire agreement. The road was used for the illegal transfer of weapons, anti-personnel mines and military personnel to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in order to strengthen the military potential of Armenia on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, where 10,000 Armenian soldiers are still stationed, he said.

He noted that the intensification of the export of minerals and natural resources of Azerbaijan along the Lachin road to Armenia for subsequent export was the last straw to start the rally on the road.

The Lachin road, according to the trilateral ceasefire agreement, was intended for use only for humanitarian purposes, he said, adding that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the only international organization present on this road, and the ICRC is in close contact with the Azerbaijani side.

Azerbaijan requires ensuring transparency of movement along this route in order to stop any illegal and illegal use of the Lachin road, the assistant to the first vice president noted.

Amirbayov added that Azerbaijan is ready to welcome any mediation in order to resolve differences and finally reach a peace agreement.

Azerbaijan calls on Armenia to return to the negotiating table, and not to manipulate international public opinion, he concluded.

In his interview to @France24_en Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, Assistant to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan spoke about the challenges to Azerbaijan - Armenia peace process and developments along the Lachin road pic.twitter.com/BcgcUcII7k

— Zaur Ahmadov (@z_ahmadov) March 21, 2023