YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. In its public and diplomatic responses Armenia has recorded that there is the Nagorno Karabakh issue and the issue of the rights of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be addressed in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive settlement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting today.

“Azerbaijan’s position is that there is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict, it is already solved. However, this position of Azerbaijan is not giving an answer to an important question: how in this case the issue of the rights of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh has been solved? The answer of this question doesn’t exist, and this is the reason that the international community is constantly talking about the necessity for the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which we see in different international platforms. Understanding that the Nagorno Karabakh issue exists and will be further expressed in the international agenda, Azerbaijan is trying not to solve this issue, but to close it, and this operation started from Parukh village in Askeran region which has an obvious tendency to continue. In fact, Azerbaijan is trying to displace all Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh, thus, for considering the issue closed”, the PM said.

He said if the Armenian side is wrong, then let Azerbaijan show concrete interest to the discussions relating to the rights and security guarantees of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.

“A matter that is pushed forward not only by Armenia, but also the entire international community.

Whereas official Baku is moving on an opposite direction, claiming that there is no Nagorno Karabakh. This is also the reason that the official circles of Azerbaijan quite aggressively react to the cases when the international community is using the name Nagorno Karabakh. However, the use of this name is definitely and undoubtedly legitimate”, he said, stating that the November 9 trilateral statement clearly mentions the terms Nagorno Karabakh, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “This statement has also been signed by the President of Azerbaijan”, he noted.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan has adopted and is implementing a policy of “Nagorno Karabakh without Armenians”. It is also explained by arbitrary interpretations of the November 9 trilateral statement.

“Such are, for example, Azerbaijan’s constant claims that the November 9 trilateral statement recorded an obligation to withdraw Armenian units from Nagorno Karabakh. This is more than an arbitrary interpretation because the November 9 statement clearly states where the Armenian units should leave and where they should stay. I want to note that the statements made by the Azerbaijani President earlier show that this provision put forward by Azerbaijan is imaginary. During our trilateral meeting on November 26, 2021, mediated by the Russian President, the President of Azerbaijan has publicly announced that all provisions of the 2020 November 9 trilateral statement are implemented in practice, except the point relating to the unblocking of communications. I want to state that it’s obvious that the provision on returning prisoners of war, hostages and other persons held is also not implemented completely yet. The works on this issue continue”, Nikol Pashinyan said.