Armenia is speaking of peace, while Azerbaijan is making warlike statements, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian stated at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
Attending were high-ranking officials of the foreign office, political scientists, analysts and foreign ambassadors to Austria.
Armenia proposes an agreement on nonuse of force, while Azerbaijan rejects the proposal, boasting of its military budget. The international community is calling for consolidating the ceasefire and withdrawing snipers from the line of contact, while Azerbaijan commits hundreds of violations weekly and acts of sabotage on the line of contact, Minister Nalbandian said.
The international community state that a peace settlement has no alternative, while Azerbaijan states that a peace settlement does not mean nonuse of force, Minister Nalbandian said. He added that Armenia calls on international agencies and other states to support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and negotiations within the international format to find compromise-based solutions.
Azerbaijan is calling on all the sides to assume anti-Armenian positions thereby acting against the OSCE Minsk Group efforts. Azerbaijan is trying to shift the negotiation process to a different format thereby causing impeding the settlement process, Minister Nalbandian said.
According to him, there is an impression that Azerbaijan`s only aim is to place the responsibility on the other sides by thwarting the negotiation process.
Armenia has accepted the revised proposals in Saint Petersburg last July, in Astrakhan last October and in Moscow last December, as a basis for negotiations leading to a settlement. This means that Armenia’s position is in line with that of the international community. Azerbaijan, in turn, is constantly making new proposals concerning a number of issues, whereas agreements were reached on them long ago, Minister Nalbandian said.
Interestingly, in making such steps, Azerbaijan is trying to accuse Armenia of trying to “edit” the agreed elements, whereas it is Azerbaijan that is doing so. The international community is expecting Azerbaijan to clear answer the following question: “Does it accept the proposals on the table? Yes or no.”
Minister Nalbandian hopes that Azerbaijan will show necessary political will in Sochi for the peace process to progress.
Before making a speech, Minister Edward Nalbandian held a meeting with Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Ambassador Hans Winkler. The sides discussed the cooperation between the newly opened diplomatic schools of Armenia and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
