Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), Masis Mayilian, on Friday delivered a speech, entitled “Prospects of EU-Artsakh Cooperation: A Way to Contribute to Peace and Stability in the South Caucasus,” addressing a roundtable organized by the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) NGO, in Brussels.

In his speech, Masis Mayilian briefed on the challenges facing the South Caucasus, noting that Azerbaijan’s nihilistic attitude to international law, disregard for the fundamental rights of the citizens of Artsakh and the very right of the Republic of Artsakh to exist are the main sources of threat to regional peace and security. He added that by aggressively imposing the logic of confrontation, the Azerbaijani authorities demonstrate that their goal is not to achieve peace through dialogue, but to gain a unilateral military and political advantage.

The Foreign Minister of Artsakh expressed confidence that European Union (EU) cooperation with Artsakh would play a stabilizing role and become an important contribution to establishing lasting peace in the South Caucasus. As per Mayilian, this would signal the inadmissibility of using confrontation and isolation as a means of resolving conflicts, since they are fraught with destabilization of the entire region. He stressed that promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms should not fall hostage to the unresolved Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, and that the unrecognized status of Artsakh should not serve as an obstacle before cooperation between Artsakh and the EU.

NKR Human Rights Defender Ruben Melikyan also delivered a speech in the roundtable, and briefed on the current human rights situation in Artsakh.