"Our response to this whole situation should be continuous diplomatic work. No matter how hard it is morally, politically, or emotionally, we should not lose our self-control under any circumstances," said RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at today's government session.
According to him, Azerbaijan continues to accuse Armenia of not fulfilling its obligations to ensure transport connections through its territory, with some ambiguous comments on the corridor, "I have to repeat. Neither in writing nor verbally, Armenia has undertaken any corridor commitment and will never accept such interpretation."
As proof of what was said, Pashinyan mentioned the November 9, 2020, statement, "As for the unblocking of regional communications under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of countries, we have repeatedly declared that we are ready for it. A draft decision of the Armenian government has been put into official circulation for a long time, which envisages the establishment of three checkpoints on the Armenia-Azerbaijani border by us. That decision is not accepted because of the destructive approach of Azerbaijan, which did not even plan a similar process and did not want to provide a way for Armenia," he stressed.
According to Pashinyan, Azerbaijan is taking such an approach because it has kept its 30-year-old policy of encircling Armenia.
The Prime Minister also referred to the Azerbaijani accusations directed at Armenia regarding mine laying. He reminded me that the International Court of Justice denied those accusations against Armenia. "And then, to show its sincerity and determination regarding the settlement of relations, in previous years, the Armenian side transferred maps of minefields of all territories under its control, using which large-scale demining works are being carried out in Azerbaijan today. And Azerbaijan, in response to this, Azerbaijan did not take any adequate step and continues to illegally keep Armenian prisoners of war and use them as a political bargaining factor."
Pashinyan noted that no matter how difficult the situation is, realizing the peace agenda has no alternative.