YEREVAN. – The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) peace talks are not conducted because too much damage has been done to the process, and in the form of Azerbaijan’s new aggression in [early] April [2016] against Artsakh.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian said the abovementioned at Friday’s joint news conference with the visiting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, Nikolaos Kotzias, in capital city Yerevan.  

In Nalbandian’s words, these negotiations have been pushed back.

“And for this reason, Armenia and the co-chairs [of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group] took steps and continued the efforts toward creating conditions for change,” noted the FM. “But the international community and Armenia speak in one language, whereas Azerbaijan—in another. Baku itself refuses to fulfill the agreements that are reached.

“But negotiations have no alternative, and, for that reason, the co-chairs continue the efforts toward moving the negotiations forward.”

Nalbandian added that Azerbaijan presents these talks in a manner that is convenient for itself.

“It wasn’t said once that the developed precepts are a whole, and that one thing can’t be separated [from them],” recalled the Armenian FM.

In his words, Azerbaijan’s attempts to blackmail make this country itself meet an impasse. 

And to the remark that the Armenian side is always more humane when it comes to returning the dead, Edward Nalbandian noted: “We [i.e. the Armenian side] cannot descend to their level (…). Armenia and Artsakh are inclined to uphold the principles of the International Humanitarian Law, and the Geneva Convention.”