Azerbaijani FM names key conditions for peace in region

BAKU. July 26 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held one-on-one talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and then attended a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday.

The meetings addressed the process of normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. Bayramov reiterated that Armenia's claims regarding the humanitarian situation in the region are completely unfounded and act as political manipulation.

In defiance of the obligations assumed under the November 10, 2020 trilateral statement, Armenia used the Lachin road for military purposes and illegally transported Azerbaijani natural resources, and the measures taken to stop that are Azerbaijan's sovereign right, Bayramov said. The opening of the Lachin checkpoint by Azerbaijan is a necessary measure, the minister said.

The provocation staged by the Armenian side on June 15 of this year impeded Armenia citizens' passage through this checkpoint, Bayramov said. Azerbaijan is currently letting through Armenian citizens who require medical care, he said.

Bayramov also accused Yerevan of rejecting Baku's proposals to meet the needs of Armenian residents, including an initiative to use the Agdam-Khankend road and other roads for these purposes.

The cessation of attempts to obstruct measures for reintegration of Armenians living in Azerbaijan, unconditional recognition by Armenia of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the country's territory are the most crucial conditions for maintaining peace in the region, Bayramov said.