(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Vugar Khalilov
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that Baku appreciates
Moscow's role in the Azerbaijani-Armenian post-war normalization
process, Azernews reports.
Bayramov made the remark during a joint presser with his Russian
counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Baku on June 24.
'Conflict is a thing of the past'
“Azerbaijan is of a position that the conflict is a thing of the
past, and it is necessary to fulfill the agreements reached and
pursue a peaceful agenda for lasting peace and prosperity in the
region. We state and express our great appreciation of the special
role that the Russian Federation has taken in reaching agreements
between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia, which were
enshrined in tripartite statements, the first of which was reached
on November 10, 2020,” Bayramov stressed.
He mentioned that the issue of the post-conflict settlement was
covered in his discussion with Lavrov today. The need of fostering
a climate of peace and collaboration in the area was
emphasized.
Bayramov noted that the Azerbaijani-Russian collaboration for
Karabakh restoration is a significant moment in bilateral
cooperation.
“Restoration of the liberated territories [from Armenian
occupation in 2020 Second Karabakh War] is the top priority for
Azerbaijan. The restoration process is of principal importance. A
lot of projects are being carried out, restoration is proceeding at
a high pace, and we will witness the return of the first internally
displaced persons (IDPs) to the liberated territories in the near
future,” he stressed.
The minister highlighted that cooperative participation in
efforts to rebuild liberated regions is an essential aspect of the
cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia.
Azerbaijan believes that, for the first time since their
independence, Azerbaijan and Armenia have a truly unique
opportunity to achieve peace and establish good neighborly
relations, Bayramov said in response to Trend's question during the
joint press conference.
'Within a short period of time following the second Karabakh war
and signing the trilateral statement, it was Azerbaijan that first
expressed its readiness to turn the page of enmity and reach a
peace agreement between the two countries. If anyone thinks it was
an easy decision, I recommend them to visit the liberated
territories and witness what we saw when we returned there,'
Bayramov said.
Baku grand initiator of stable peace in the South
Caucasus
According to Bayramov, it was Azerbaijan that put forth the
fundamental parameters for establishing interstate ties between
Armenia and Azerbaijan in February 2022. These values have been
embraced by Armenia's political leadership as well as the rest of
the globe.
In terms of mending Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, the nations
have made the most progress in opening communications. As a result,
Azerbaijan, represented by President Ilham Aliyev, insisted on
including the paragraph on unblocking communications in the
trilateral agreement, therefore restoring commercial connections,
the minister explained.
According to Bayramov, delays in normalizing the
Azerbaijani-Armenian ties pose threats to the peace
negotiations.
“Azerbaijan's position for the normalization of relations aimed
at full and strict implementation of all tripartite statements.
This is a guarantee of development of the whole region because the
artificial delay in the process of normalizing state relations has
a negative effect on this process and carries serious risks,”
Bayramov said.
Bayramov also emphasized Russia's specific role in achieving
agreements between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia,
which were guaranteed in trilateral declarations, the first of
which was signed on November 10, 2020.
He added that the progress of normalizing ties between
Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot be hampered by the format.
'Starting from February 2022, due to well-known reasons, the
negotiations between the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group become
completely paralyzed. We received this information from various
sources, including from Russian partners, but not only.
Azerbaijan's objective in this circumstance is to achieve
long-term, durable, and sustainable peace in the region. From this
point of view, the process cannot fall victim to the format.
Naturally, we cannot focus on a non-existent format,' Bayramov
emphasized.
In turn, Lavrov said that Russia will provide all the necessary
help required to bring peace in the South Caucasus and delimit the
Azerbaijani-Armenian borders.
“Russia emphasizes the necessity to resume or continue the work
of the Commission on border delimitation between Azerbaijan and
Armenia as soon as possible. Russia will be ready to render the
necessary advisory services, as we are ready to facilitate the
conclusion of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, initiated by
our Azerbaijani friends,” Lavrov said.
He stressed that there is no alternative to the implementation
of all agreements, which is ensured in three declarations signed by
Russian, Azerbaijani, and Armenian leaders. Nearly every aspect of
post-conflict settlement in the region is covered by the
agreements, the minister added.
'No alternative to the implementation of all
agreements'
“We have noted the convergence of approaches on most of the key
issues. The tasks of strengthening peace, security, and stability
in the South Caucasus were discussed, first of all,” Lavrov
said.
“We confirmed that there is no alternative to the implementation
of all the agreements, which are guaranteed in three statements at
the level of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, which
deal with almost all aspects of the post-conflict settlement in the
region,” the Russian FM noted.
He underlined that the work of deputy PMs in the trilateral
working group on unblocking all transport and economic ties in the
South Caucasus was highlighted during the talks with Bayramov.
“They met in Moscow on June 3 and just two weeks later held
another informal meeting within the framework of the St. Petersburg
International Economic Forum [held in Russia, on June 15-18, 2022].
These recent contacts have made it possible to come much closer to
final agreements on rail and road routes,” Lavrov added.
The Russian FM stated that high-level talks between Azerbaijan
and Russia are held on a regular basis.
'Today, we had productive talks with Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on
bilateral cooperation. Our already great cooperation was formalized
legally in February this year. High-level contacts between our
countries are carried out regularly,' he said.
OSCE Minsk Group 'no longer exists' -
Lavrov
The Russian top diplomat stressed that the OSCE Minsk Group no
longer exists.
“We do not discuss the OSCE Minsk Group (MG), because it has
ceased its activities. We discussed the processes of post-conflict
resolution. The basis for these new processes lies in three
tripartite statements by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and
Armenia,” Lavrov underlined.
'The three statements signed by the leaders of Russia,
Azerbaijan, and Armenia are now widely recognized as the basis for
a final solution to all the remaining issues,” he added.
The second meeting of the commission on border delimitation
between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been scheduled for Moscow,
Lavrov said, answering a question from Trend's journalist during
the joint press conference.
'The meeting is scheduled to be held in Moscow, and the sides
are currently choosing dates that will be more convenient for them.
Thus, both sides haven't changed their minds and are willing to
participate in the commission meeting,' Lavrov said.
'We had discussions with both the prime minister and the foreign
minister of Armenia during my visit to Yerevan a couple of weeks
ago. They confirmed their readiness to participate in the second
meeting within the delimitation commission,' Lavrov concluded.
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- Tags:
- Sergei Lavrov
- Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry
- Jeyhun Bayramov
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