Pashinyan declared readiness for urgent negotiations with Aliyev

Armenian PM Pashinyan declares readiness for urgent talks with Aliyev

Pashinyan spoke about the tension on the border of the two countries and the accumulation of Azerbaijani forces around Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku has previously accused Yerevan of "intensifying military provocations"

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed with him the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the press service of the head of government reported.

The conversation concerned the "deepening humanitarian crisis" in Nagorno-Karabakh, the "accumulation" of Azerbaijani forces around it, the "illegal blocking" of the Lachin corridor and the "growing tension" on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the report says.

The head of the Armenian government declared his commitment to resolving all issues exclusively through diplomatic means and in a "constructive atmosphere".

"Pashinyan expressed readiness to hold urgent discussions with the President of Azerbaijan aimed at reducing tensions," his press service reported.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating a peace agreement for several years. In May, the Armenian Prime Minister declared his readiness to recognize Azerbaijan's sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh, provided that the security of the Armenian population is ensured.

In early September, Pashinyan said that the situation on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan is explosive and the international community should prevent further aggravation. He said that Baku is accumulating forces near the border and in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In early September, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused the Armenian side of "intensifying military provocations" along the undimited border of the two countries and in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. They also stated that Armenia is "not interested" in finding solutions at the negotiating table.

The situation around the Lachin corridor (the only road connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh) remains an acute problem. Yerevan accuses Baku of blocking it; Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has denied this several times, stating that the way is open for citizens and transportation for humanitarian purposes.

Pashinyan stated that, according to the agreements concluded in Moscow in November 2020, Russian peacekeepers should control the Lachin corridor, but in fact this is not happening. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the accusations against Moscow unfounded, noting that Russian peacekeepers are "literally hourly" working to resolve the situation. Russia, the European Union and the United States called for unblocking the Baku corridor.