Baku, 15 February 2023 (TDI): The Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, Igor Khovaev met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov.
The representatives spoke on a variety of topics, including the negotiations for a peace accord, the state of the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the protests along the Lachin Road.
Remarks by representatives
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov highlighted that Armenia consistently impedes the peace process despite the constructive methods demonstrated by Azerbaijan.
He recalled that Armenia had decided to abstain from the December scheduled round of peace deal negotiations.
Bayramov stressed that the legitimate demands of the protesters have not yet been fulfilled. The Armenian side is using this situation for political purposes and diverting the issue in the wrong direction.
Also read: Azerbaijan holds Armenia responsible for ongoing conflict
The Minister also noted that the Lachin road is used for purposes other than those stipulated by the Tripartite Declaration.
Notably, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow earlier this year. He stated that Moscow is keen on seeing a peace treaty signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
The relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan are tense since 1990. The tensions followed the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is a region internationally recognized as being a part of Azerbaijan, and seven neighboring regions.
Several cities, villages, and settlements in Karabakh were freed from Armenian domination in the fall of 2020 after 44 days of fighting that culminated in a cease-fire mediated by Moscow.
The tensions escalated once again when Azerbaijani soldiers crossed several kilometers into Armenia in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik in 2021.
Recently, Azerbaijan has launched a landmark legal challenge against Armenia for allegedly destroying its environment and biodiversity during nearly three decades of occupation of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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