The government of the Republic of Armenia (RA) has presented details regarding the ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan.

As stated in the report on the implementation of the RA government's plan for 2022, the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiation process took place in the following main directions: Treaty on Armenia-Azerbaijan peace and establishment of relations, Nagorno-Karabakh issue settlement, unblocking of transport and economic communications in the region, border delimitation, security, and humanitarian issues.

Several meetings were held to discuss these matters.

Three rounds of work on the peace and relations establishment treaty took place, during which Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged observations and recommendations. For the RA, the approach is acceptable that the signing of this treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be separated from the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, with the logic that an international mechanism of discussions between Stepanakert and Baku be formed. It is essential for the RA that guaranteed mechanisms for addressing the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh be formed, and which will have international visibility and engagement.

"In the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan treaty, the formation of security guarantees for the RA's 29,800 square kilometers, formation of a practical mechanism for possible misinterpretations over the text of the treaty and settlement of disputes," the report says.

It is noted that by virtue of the agreements reached in Prague on October 6, 2022 and Sochi on October 31, 2022, Armenia and Azerbaijan have reaffirmed their commitment to recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter and the 1991 Almaty Declaration. According to the Sochi declaration, the parties clearly agreed to refrain from the use of force or the threat of its use, to discuss and resolve all problematic issues, respecting the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The RA is interested in unblocking the economic and transport communications of the region and is ready to implement it in accordance with the RA legislation within the framework of the Armenian Crossroads project. The new opportunities for the movement of cargo, goods, and citizens will obviously increase the appeal of the Armenian Crossroads for international and regional passenger and cargo transportation, significantly emphasizing Armenia's unrealized logistics role in the region, which in turn will also provide additional security and stability guarantees.

The report notes that agreements on a number of humanitarian issues in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations remain unaddressed. Contrary to point 8 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan continues to keep 33 captured Armenian citizens in prison. The RA pursues, in all international courts, the task of captured Armenians and their return. During 2022, it was possible to secure the return of 31 captured Armenian citizens. The issue of missing persons also remains important in the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On the Armenian side, the location of 975 citizens is considered unknown, 777 of them as a result of the first Karabakh war in the early 1990s, 196 as a result of the 44-day war in 2020, and two as a result of the September 2022 aggression. The RA consistently raises at international judicial and diplomatic instances the issues of forced disappearances, as well as torture of captives, and torturing and dishonoring of dead soldiers' corpses.

In 2022, Armenia returned to Azerbaijan 35 bones of allegedly missing Azerbaijanis and three maps of the possible locations of the bodies. During 2022, Armenia submitted these four complaints to the European Court of Human Rights against Azerbaijan:

1) Regarding the mass violations of human rights committed during the 44-day war and during the following two months, including violations of the right to life, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, the right to private and family life, the right to property, and a number of other rights.

2) Regarding violations of rights, including illegal deprivation of liberty, as a result of illegal trials against captured persons.

3) Regarding the violations of human rights as a result of the occupation by the armed forces of Azerbaijan in the sovereign territory of Armenia.

4) Regarding the events of Parukh and Karaglukh villages in Nagorno-Karabakh and the events that took place at the Lachin corridor.

During 2022, Armenia filed a complaint against Azerbaijan at the UN International Court of Justice regarding the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The complaint refers to all manifestations of racial discrimination, the motive of which is hatred towards ethnic Armenians. Petitions for compensation for property and non-property damages have been and will be submitted by Armenia in all interstate appeals in court.