The direct result of the agreement reached in Dushanbe was the establishment of operative contact. This is what Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan declared during a discussion entitled “Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Recent Trends” at Orbeli Center today.

“This includes certain mechanisms for the prevention of and reaction to incidents. The recent escalation pinpointed the fact that there is a need for further strengthening of those mechanisms. This implies that we need to take steps to strengthen the ceasefire regime. Agreements on this were reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg in 2016,” Naghdalyan emphasized, adding that the agreement reached in Dushanbe strengthens the existing mechanisms to a certain extent.

Naghdalyan stated that Armenia will never refuse to prevent and reduce risks and reminded that Armenia has always said that peace must be acceptable for the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan, yet there is some misunderstanding that Armenia will be ready to make unilateral concessions for peace or take actions that will pose a risk for the security or self-determination of Artsakh.

When asked how there can be any acceptable solution for the three peoples and what the red line for Armenia is, Naghdalyan said the following: “It is the security of Artsakh and the status arising from that. The rest is diplomacy. The people of Artsakh have to determine the status of Artsakh.”