Artsakh Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karen Mirzoyan (right) address participants at a round-table discussion in Moscow (Source: NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

MOSCOW (NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs)—Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan delivered a speech at a round-table discussion in Moscow on Friday as part of the “Days of Artsakh in Moscow,” conference, the Karabakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

At the round-table, entitled, “Nagorno-Karabakh: New Challenges and New Opportunities,” Mirzoyan briefed participants on the current stage of the peaceful settlement process of the Karabakh conflict and the situation on the line of contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

Mirzoyan noted that Azerbaijani leadership has consistently demonstrated unwillingness and a lack of political will to reach a peaceful and final settlement to the conflict, and has taken steps aimed at further escalation of tension.  According to Mirzoyan, this is manifested in Baku’s consistent rejection of both the initiatives of the Armenian side for the stabilization of the situation on the line of contact and the latest proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the establishment of mechanisms for the investigation of incidents.

Mirzoyan also presented the state-building process in Artsakh, noting that the people and authorities of Artsakh are united in their determination to continue the path chosen in the 1991 referendum on independence, and confirmed in the constitutional referendum in 2006. In this context, Mirzoyan underlined that Karabakh is a reliable, predictable, and responsible partner and an important geopolitical factor in ensuring stability and peace in the region.

In his speech, Mirzoyan  also touched upon a range of current issues of regional and international politics, including the issue of international terrorism. He noted that Artsakh faced that problem back in 1992-1994, when Azerbaija,n violating the norms of international law, attracted thousands of foreign mercenaries from different terrorist groups, to participate in the hostilities against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mirzoyan noted that international terrorism is a global challenge requiring consolidated approach of international community to overcome it.