Recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan 'unacceptable', FM reiterates
A delegation led by President Arayik Harutyunyan of the Artsakh Republic has been in Yerevan for 3-4 days now to meet with the country’s top leadership, Foreign Minister David Babayan, who is among the delegation members, told a news briefing on Friday.
He said they had met with the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council and the parliament speaker. A meeting with the country’s president is scheduled for Friday.
“Tomorrow we will meet with the foreign minister and the prime minister. In short, we will meet with all those senior officials who are involved in negotiations determining the fate of Artsakh,” he said.
The foreign minister says the Artsakh officials seek “sincere discussions” with the Armenian authorities.
"Not only the Artsakh Armenians, but also the entire Armenian people have found themselves in an unprecedented situation and are facing existential threats. It’s extremely important for us to get answers to a number of questions, express our stance and learn about the ongoing processes,” the official said.
Referring to the latest meeting of the Armenian and Azeri leaders in Prague and the statement that they agreed on the mutual recognition of territorial integrity of their countries, Babayan said: “We don’t oppose the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan is unacceptable for Artsakh and, I believe, for all Armenians.”
He said the Armenian officials denied any plans to recognize the Azerbaijani sovereignty over Artsakh at the meetings.
"We are yet to meet with the prime minister, who is, naturally, the main actor. We have reiterated that any attempt to make Artsakh a part of Azerbaijan would lead to either a war, bloodshed and genocide or the exodus of Armenians from Artsakh,” he said.
Related news
- Artsakh is a 'shield' that has protected Armenia for centuries, FM says
- Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, FM reiterates