Azerbaijan must abandon its maximalist demands, bellicose rhetoric and encroachments on Armenia's sovereign territory, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.

Mirzoyan said he briefed his counterpart on the situation in the region, Azerbaijan's blocking of the Lachin corridor and the ensuing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, the importance of the civil mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was noted. "I am confident that it will contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," the Minister noted.

The Minister noted that the illegal blocking of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan is not only a gross violation of IHL, but also of the statement signed by Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020. In parallel with the blockade that has been going on for two and a half months now, Azerbaijan is conducting an energy crisis, repeatedly and deliberately disrupting the gas and electricity supplies from Armenia to Artsakh.

According to him, the goal is obvious - to create unbearable conditions for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to leave their historic homeland. The Azerbaijani leadership speaks about this openly. The Minister stressed that Armenia attaches special importance to the attention and substantive actions of the international community to prevent ethnic cleansing. It is important to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation, and to provide unimpeded access to Nagorno-Karabakh for the representatives of international organizations, the minister added. He attached importance to Luxembourg's position, noting that Armenia, which has democratic values, is not alone and enjoys the support of its partners.

Mirzoyan also noted that despite everything, the peaceful agenda remains a priority for Armenia. Armenia excludes the threat or use of force and finds that a constructive position creates preconditions for solving the issue.