Response of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh to the Mass Media Question

Question: Citing its sources, the BBC-Azerbaijan Service has reported that the authorities of Karabakh are inclined to agree to the opening of the Aghdam road and that a meeting between the parties on this issue will be held in Barda in the coming days. Does this information correspond to the reality?

Answer: We would like to stress that the Artsakh side has always acted in a peaceful way, sticking to the position of a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict through negotiations. At the same time, such negotiations should proceed within the framework of the international format agreed between the parties, which will allow to guarantee that they are held in accordance with the norms and principles of international law. The Artsakh side has repeatedly made proposals for meetings via mediators, but the Azerbaijani side has rejected them.

We’d also like to note that any meeting in the territory of Azerbaijan, moreover, without the involvement of international mediators, are greatly risky, especially considering the fact of kidnapping Vagif Khachatryan, who was under the mandate of the ICRC, in the presence of the Russian peacekeepers.

As for the Aghdam road, Spokesperson of the President of Artsakh has addressed the issue today.