Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan attended—via video link—the meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). During the event, the deputy PM delivered an address, too, in which he particularly noted as follows:

“Regarding the statement of the Azerbaijani side, I would like to emphasize that a year ago, the statement by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan on the ceasefire and the cessation of all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] conflict zone was adopted through the mediation of the Russian Federation. We [i.e., Armenia] highly value the efforts by the Russian allies, as well as the activities of the [Russian] peacekeeping contingent stationed along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact and the Lachin corridor.

As a result of the war unleashed by the Republic of Azerbaijan [last fall], 40,000 people were left homeless and lost their property, 17,000 civilian facilities and infrastructure were destroyed, thousands of people, including civilians, were killed and wounded, the fate of many [others] is still unknown.

Despite its commitments, Azerbaijan continues to torpedo the course of implementation of the agreements reached, including holding many Armenian prisoners of war captive, which is not only a gross violation of Section 8 of the November 9, 2020 statement, but also a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

By distorting the provisions of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 on the unblocking of infrastructure in the region, Azerbaijan is manipulating the concept of a ‘corridor, which is accompanied by threats of using force.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be resolved by force. The settlement of the conflict can be achieved through peaceful negotiations, exclusively within the framework of the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

In order to defuse the situation and enter a phase of peaceful development in the region, it is necessary for Azerbaijan to take a constructive stance, renouncing the policy of hatred, aggressive rhetoric, and inimical actions."