Armenia will be consistent in restoring and protecting the rights of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Deputy Foreign Minister Vahe Gevorgyan stated about this at the parliamentary standing committees’ joint debates Thursday on the country’s draft state budget for 2022.

According to him, the Armenian authorities will make every effort to guarantee the right of the people of Karabakh to a safe and dignified life in their homeland.

"One of the most important directions of Yerevan's foreign policy in connection with the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Karabakh and its people last fall, as well as [its] plans for Armenia's sovereign territory, continues to be the ensuring of the security of Armenia and Karabakh, the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, as well as the establishment of regional peace, stability, and the lifting of the blockade," Gevorgyan said.

According to the deputy FM, Armenia's principled position on the Karabakh conflict has been repeatedly stated. Thus, as per Yerevan, the only format that has an international mandate is the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Karabakh conflict’s comprehensive and long-term settlement based on the well-known principles and elements, which implies the clarification of the final status of Karabakh—and taking into account that the realization of the inalienable right of the Armenians of Karabakh to self-determination is possible only in this format.

At this phase, the Armenian deputy FM considered the resumption of the Karabakh peace process within the framework of the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs a priority. The solution of humanitarian problems, including the return of all Armenian prisoners, and the clarification of the fate of the missing as well as of the victims of enforced disappearances is also considered a priority. Preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage is also a priority.

International recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide is another priority of Armenian diplomacy. In this connection, Vahe Gevorgyan confirmed that Armenia will continue to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community to prevent genocides and crimes against humanity.