Lavrov's statement, France's resolution...

Baku/12.02.22/Turan: Azerbaijan is ready to ensure the rights of Karabakh Armenians, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday at a press conference. Lavrov also noted that at the time of the signing of the Alma-Ata Declaration, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAR) was clearly part of the Azerbaijan SSR.

On November 30, the National Assembly of France adopted another anti-Azerbaijani resolution. The document condemns "the military aggression of Azerbaijan on September 13-14 against the southern and southeastern regions of the Republic of Armenia, whose sovereignty has been violated", demands "the immediate liberation of the territories of Armenia occupied by Azerbaijan".

The Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have criticized the decision of the Lower House of the French Parliament.

Elman Fattah, an expert on international issues, commented on these events in the "Difficult Question" program.

According to him, Lavrov's statement has two goals. On the one hand, he criticizes the government of Armenia headed by Nikol Pashinyan, and on the other hand, he tries to torpedo the negotiations that are taking place on the Brussels platform, i.e. under the auspices of the West.

“Pay attention, Lavrov recalls that Russia offered the parties to postpone the issue of the status of Karabakh “for later”. Following this, he notes that after the Karabakh war, in the process of negotiations directed by Moscow, the parties were to a large extent approaching the conclusion of a peace treaty, and that the Azerbaijani side did not rule out ensuring the rights of the Armenian population in Karabakh. And right there, he claims that President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan brought a document to Sochi from Prague saying that they want to sign a peace treaty, guided by the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration on the creation of the CIS. It recognizes that the NKAO is definitely a part of Azerbaijan,” said Fattah,

According to the observer, there is a very significant difference between the negotiations on the Moscow site and on the Brussels site. The negotiations in Brussels, and in particular the position set out in the Prague Declaration, include the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and meet the interests of Azerbaijan. The option proposed by the Kremlin calls into question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

"Lavrov's statement on the eve of the next Brussels meeting, which is expected on December 7, is aimed at undermining the confidence of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the peace process under the auspices of the West," Fattah said.

According to him, all this is happening against the backdrop of the adoption by the National Assembly of France of an anti-Azerbaijani resolution, which, perhaps, is aimed at Azerbaijan abandoning the Brussels platform. “All this together only increases tension,” said Fattah.—0—