Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan yesterday held phone talks with UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighborhood and the Americas Wendy Morton.

The focus of the conversation was on the situation created as a result of the large-scale aggression launched by Azerbaijan’s military-political leadership against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Minister Mnatsakanyan called his interlocutor’s attention to several facts about the atrocities of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces against peaceful civilians, the tortures and murders of prisoners of war under their control, constant targeting of civilian settlements and lifeline infrastructures, as well as the shelling of religious and cultural institutions.

In her turn, Morton expressed her deep condolences on the occasion of the victims among civilians as a result of the hostilities.

The interlocutors touched upon the need for implementation of the October 10 and October 17 ceasefire agreements. In this context, Mnatsakanyan stated that Azerbaijan’s violation of the agreements shows once again the country’s lack of ability to respect its commitments and renounce its ambitions to solve the issue militarily. The minister expressed deep concern over the fact that Azerbaijan’s behavior is supported and encouraged by Turkey, which is also trying to advance its expansionary goals by destabilizing security in the region.

Mnatsakanyan also reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict and the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire that will be maintained through verification mechanisms.