“We suggested Baku create an institution of guarantors” - Secretary of the Armenian Security Council
Secretary of the Security Council on peace treaty
Armenia has suggested that Azerbaijan create an institute of guarantors to ensure the implementation of the peace agreement that is being prepared for signing, reports Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan to Armenian journalists.
“We also proposed a mechanism for appealing to an international court in case of a crisis that cannot be resolved,” he said.
Grigoryan says the signing of a peace agreement before the end of the year is possible if “Azerbaijan reacts positively” to Armenia’s proposal.
On December 22, during a government meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia had submitted its proposals on a peace treaty to Azerbaijan and was ready to sign a document with the proposed content.
“If Azerbaijan reacts positively”
According to Grigoryan, Armenia continues to make efforts to establish peace in the regio, and it depends on Baku whether a peace agreement will be signed before the end of the year or not.
“The crisis created [in Nagorno-Karabakh] once again shows the destructive role of Azerbaijan in the region. At a moment when peace negotiations are underway, Azerbaijan closes the Lachin corridor in the person of so-called environmentalists,” he said.
Grigoryan said that one of Yerevan’s proposals for a peace treaty is the creation of an institution of guarantors:
“That is, [it is proposed that] both international organizations and states create an institution of guarantors of the peace treaty. And [it is expected that] this institution of guarantors will be able to ensure the implementation of this agreement.”
Grigoryan did not specify which countries could take on the role of guarantor and the matter will be up for negotiation.
Journalists were interested in whether there was a point in the proposals submitted to Azerbaijan that directly or indirectly concerns Nagorno-Karabakh.
“When we sit down at the negotiating table, when Azerbaijan is ready to negotiate based on our answers, then we will have a clear idea,” Grigoryan replied.
“We are working with the international community on the issue of unblocking the Lachin corridor”
Armen Grigoryan did not specify whether there is any contact with Baku, emphasizing only mediation efforts of the international community.
“Armenia calls on the international community, be it the UN, the OSCE or the OSCE Minsk Group, to send a mission to the Lachin corridor so that we can resolve this situation,” he stated.
Grigoryan vowed that the government is working to unblock the Lachin corridor “as soon as possible”, and for this Yerevan is using all available tools:
“Efforts are being made to return the functioning of the corridor to normal, that is, according to the statement of November 9, which clearly states that the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia is through the Lachin corridor, unhindered.”
Since December 12, under the pretext of protecting the environment, Azerbaijanis have blocked the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. 120,000 people, of whom 30,000 are children, are under blockade and on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.
More than twenty patients with serious problems need immediate transportation to Armenia for qualified medical care. One of them managed to be transported to Yerevan through the mediation of the Red Cross while one seriously ill patient has died.
“These ‘environmentalists’ are representatives of the defense structures of Azerbaijan”
A similar point of view was expressed by Armen Grigoryan. He believes that the blocking of the Lachin corridor “was organized by the government of Azerbaijan, this step has nothing to do with any civil initiative”:
“I don’t know if there are people with the rank of general or captain among the “environmentalists” or not. But that these people are representatives of the defense structures of Azerbaijan is unambiguous.”
“If the corridor is closed, then effective steps have not been taken”
The Secretary of the Security Council says the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to be critical. He emphasized that the Russian peacekeeping forces are responsible for uninterrupted movement along the corridor, as provided for in the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020.
Grigoryan urged journalists to find out from Russian structures why the peacekeeping contingent does not fulfill its obligations. He said that the Armenian government has addressed Russia with this issue both publicly and privately.
When asked what kind of answer was received from Russia, Grigoryan replied:
“If the corridor is closed, then effective steps have not been taken.”
A day ago, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also criticized the Russian peacekeepers on a mission in the Lachin corridor, stressing that not only Azerbaijan, but also Russia is not fulfilling the obligations assumed under the tripartite statement. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in response: “Such an attitude towards our peacekeepers is unacceptable.”
Follow us – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Secretary of the Security Council on peace treaty
