Belgian FM welcomes Pashinyan's 'bold' statements
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib insisted on peace talks and compromises as the only way to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at a joint news conference with her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan on Tuesday.
She noted that at the upcoming meeting with her Azerbaijani counterpart in Baku, she would highlight the agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel this year, as well as the recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries by their leaders.
"I welcome your prime minister's bold statements on the road to peace,” Lahbib said. “The rights and security of the Armenian population must be respected, and I will remind my Azerbaijani counterpart of this.”
She warned that the closure of the Lachin Corridor, the sole road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, has severe humanitarian implications, causing a risk of disease and starvation.
"This was also confirmed this morning during a meeting with ICRC officials: the lives of Karabakh residents are in danger which is unacceptable," the minister said.
Lahbib also announced a new round of consultations in Brussels, as well as in Yerevan and Baku.
"We hope that they will make it possible to reach a historic breakthrough," she emphasized.