Armenia’s acting Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian today held phone talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

As reported the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interlocutors highly appreciated the effective cooperation between Armenia and various UN agencies.

Among the key topics was the undertaking of actions aimed at mitigating the humanitarian and socio-economic situation created in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in consequence of the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

Presenting the activities that Armenia carried out with the relevant UN agencies during the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and in the post-war period in order to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Artsakh, the acting minister emphasized that Azerbaija continues to politicize the availability of humanitarian assistance and undermine the efforts of the international community. In this context, Aivazian also underscored the urgency of the return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians being kept as hostages in Azerbaijan.

The interlocutors also touched upon the need for protection and preservation of historical, cultural and religious heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone and the introduction of active international mechanisms for that. Aivazian considered Azerbaijan blocking the conduct of an international expert mission to endangered cultural sites inadmissible.

During the phone talks, acting Foreign Minister Aivazian attached importance to the restoration of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process within the scope of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group and, in this context, also highlighted the role of the Co-Chairmanship in addressing the consequences of the war.