My Azerbaijani counterpart has publicly rejected my proposal for a meeting to exchange views on the draft peace agreement—going as far as calling me “a populist.” Sargis Khandanyan, an MP of the ruling majority Civil Contract Faction and Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, wrote this on X.

“If advocating for peace is populism, then I proudly embrace the label for as long as necessary. My offer remains on the table. I stand ready to engage in confidence-building measures at the inter-parliamentary level, tirelessly working for peace and stability in our region,” Khandanyan.

Recently, Sargis Khandanyan had addressed chairman of the Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations of the Azerbaijani parliament, Samad Seyidov, proposing to convene a joint meeting of the foreign relations committees of the Armenian and Azerbaijani parliaments.