What is the situation on the border and in Nagorno Karabakh one year after the conflict?
Azerbaijan's military aggression against Nagorno Karabakh ended with a trilateral declaration on the ceasefire on November 9, 2020. However, the situation remains very tense. During this year, about thirty serious violations of the ceasefire by Azerbaijan have been registered, as a result of which there have been casualties on the Armenian side. Civilians were also killed.
Nevertheless, Armenia is making every effort to establish lasting peace in the region. However, for this process to be effective, the efforts must be bilateral.
What efforts is Armenia ready to make?
The rhetoric of the two sides is very different. Armenia speaks of opening all channels of communication, while Azerbaijan insists on the so-called "corridor" (with Nakhichevan, which is located between Armenia, Turkey and Iran, ed.). Armenia, as a manifestation of goodwill, is ready to hand over all the maps of minefields located in the region, but Azerbaijan, despite its obligation, does not release the Armenian prisoners of war.
When we talk about peace, Azerbaijan multiplies xenophobic statements. These are evidenced by the speeches of the president of Azerbaijan, the “trophy park" opened in Baku this spring, where Armenians are presented humiliated and ridiculed.
Where can lead this hate speech you are talking about?
The answer to this difficult question is in Baku. Hatred can lead to annihilation or genocide. The Armenian people know that.
Lasting peace is possible, but it is difficult to imagine the presence of the Armenian population in the territories controlled by Azerbaijan. No Armenians live in the territories that passed under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the war, which is a factual proof of ethnic cleansing.
How many POWs are kept in Azerbaijan?
There is a lot of evidence about the inhuman, degrading treatment and torture of Armenian prisoners of war. These cases have been documented by various international non-governmental organizations, including the Human Rights Watch. We also have documented videos and photos that prove that these people were captured, but Azerbaijan does not confirm their existence.
They may have been executed extrajudicially, held in underground prisons, or trafficked in human organs. Azerbaijan has confirmed the existence of 40 Armenian prisoners of war, and has denied the existence of 100 of them.
Last Wednesday you met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and then took part in a trilateral meeting with your counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov involving the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. What was the result of the meeting?
First of all, I would like to thank President Macron, the French parliamentarians, all those who have shown support to Armenia.
I would also like to emphasi...
