Yerevan accuses Baku of torpedoing Karabakh agreements

YEREVAN. Nov 12 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan is continuing to torpedo the trilateral agreements on Karabakh signed by the heads of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said.

"A trilateral statement on a ceasefire and full termination of the hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone was adopted a year ago with Russia's mediation. We highly appreciate the efforts of our Russian allies and the activities of the peacekeeping contingent," Grigoryan said at a virtual meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of Government.

Despite the obligations undertaken under the trilateral statements, "Azerbaijan is continuing to torpedo the implementation of the agreements, in particular, by keeping numerous Armenian servicemen prisoner," he said.

"Azerbaijan is misinterpreting provisions of the trilateral statements on the unblocking of regional infrastructure and is promoting the idea of a corridor while threatening to use force. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must not be resolved by force. It is possible to settle the conflict through peace talks held exclusively within the framework of the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs," Grigoryan said.

"The Armenian side supports the adoption of the documents submitted on coordinated measures, which aim to further enhance the defense capacities of the CIS member states," he said.

Armenia views the documents on the meeting's agenda as a manifestation of the efforts of the CIS member states toward economic cooperation, higher competiveness of the national economies of the CIS member states, and their stronger position in the global system, Grigoryan said.