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Armenian FM Signals Meeting With Russian, Azeri Counterparts


Tajikistan - The foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan meet in Dushanbe, May 12, 2022
Tajikistan - The foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan meet in Dushanbe, May 12, 2022

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed on Wednesday that his planned trilateral meeting with his Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts could take place soon.

The meeting was originally scheduled for the end of December. Mirzoyan cancelled it in protest against Azerbaijan’s blockade of the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Moscow criticized the move while trying to set a new date for the talks.

Mirzoyan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the matter when they met in Moscow on Monday. Lavrov indicated that the trilateral talks will likely be held soon.

“In the near future we will choose convenient dates for all three ministers,” he told reporters.

“There is a possibility of such a meeting in the near future,” Mirzoyan told the Armenian parliament. He did not give possible dates.

Answering questions from pro-government lawmakers, Mirzoyan also questioned the effectiveness of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

“What is the point of reaching agreements on other issues if they will be definitely violated by Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan will come up with tougher demands on those issues some time later?” he asked.

The minister pointed to the continuing Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor. He reiterated that it constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 ceasefire deal that placed the corridor under Russian control and committed Azerbaijani to ensuring safe passage through it. Moscow and Baku must put an end to the blockade, he said.

Armenian officials have repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of not doing enough to unblock the vital road. Moscow has rejected the criticism.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again claimed on Tuesday that traffic through the Lachin corridor was not blocked by Azerbaijani government-backed protesters on December 12. Numerous reports to the contrary are “false Armenian propaganda,” Aliyev told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call.

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