Pashinyan: There is no alternative to peace in South Caucasus
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the PACE resolution on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as he chaired a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
In a resolution adopted late on Thursday, the PACE "stresses that the current situation is not sustainable and may well lead to the Armenian population being forced to leave their homes and communities if there is no resolution to the conflict."
“In this context, it urgently calls for addressing the issues of the rights and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh through dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert and a neutral international involvement in any peace implementation mechanism to be put in place,” it says.
The Assembly emphasized that the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan is a violation of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020, noted the fact of the blocking of natural gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno Karabakh, called on Azerbaijan to immediately restore these supplies and fulfill the ruling of the International Court of Justice on unblocking the Lachin Corridor.
"The resolution adopted in the PACE is an important document in terms of increasing international attention to the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia will be consistent in terms of keeping the provisions of the resolution on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers, that is, the executive body of the Council of Europe," Pashinyan said.
Referring to the ongoing talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Washington, he noted: "There is no alternative to peace in our region, and our government, facing all difficulties and complications, will continue the political path of peace."