The Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations of Armenia, Sargis Khandanyan, has confirmed that Armenia is "working on" the latest Azerbaijani proposals for a peace treaty.
At a press briefing on Monday (13 February), Khandanyan said that "Armenia is working on these proposals. When our proposals will be ready, they will be sent to Azerbaijan."
Regarding discussions over a possible meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Russia, the MP added that a meeting between the two foreign ministers could happen amid the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor, saying "the Armenian side doesn’t have such precondition."
Traffic on the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia with the Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been restricted since 12 December last year. While Armenia argues that the actions of the self-proclaimed eco-protesters on the Lachin Corridor constitute a blockade, Azerbaijan argues that the Corridor remains open for humanitarian purposes.
Negotiations continue in the background of Lachin Corridor dispute
Last week, on Tuesday (7 February), the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed that negotiations between Baku and Yerevan were ongoing despite events on the Lachin Corridor. Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Mirzoyan said, "despite [Lachin], we conveyed our new proposals around a peace treaty to the Azerbaijani side. And I have to inform that a few days ago we received the Azerbaijani response and proposals. This is a continuous process, and we continue to work on the text, exchanging proposals and continuing discussions in several phases."
Azerbaijan responds, both sides express commitment to peace process
Responding to Mirzoyan's press conference, Aykhan Hajizada, the head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, argued on Wednesday (8 February) that Baku had in fact sent their latest proposals to Yerevan "not a few days ago, but 15 days ago". He added that Azerbaijan "is in favour of conducting negotiations on the text of the peace agreement in a short period and is always ready for it".
On his part, Mirzoyan reiterated on Monday (13 February) that Armenia is committed to the peace agenda and to achieving sustainable and lasting peace in the region.
source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: arka