Government did everything to address the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, says Foreign Minister

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan clarified the position of the Armenian government regarding the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh during the negotiation process.

During the Parliament–Cabinet Q&A session on April 16, the minister recalled that the Armenian government had been fully involved in addressing the rights and security issues of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians—both by enabling direct communication and by working to establish international guarantees.

In this context, Mirzoyan highlighted the efforts to organize the Sofia meeting.

“We were confident that if that mechanism had been created—if that dialogue had been established—it would have been possible to resolve certain issues,” the minister noted.

According to Mirzoyan, following the forced displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, and especially after their declaration of self-dissolution, the agenda can no longer continue for a simple reason—there is no longer an Armenian community there whose rights can be discussed.

Addressing accusations by some political forces that the Armenian government had removed the issue from the negotiation agenda, the minister stressed that the current government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has done everything possible to ensure the rights and security of these people were addressed in some form.

“I emphasize, this government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has done everything to somehow address the rights and security of these people. And now, accusing us of removing this matter from the agenda in the event we were discussing the issue and suggesting that the bar should be lowered to enable a conversation, is unjust,” Mirzoyan stated.

He added that representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, including those influenced by the opposition in the National Assembly, refused to participate in the Sofia meeting, which, according to him, could have truly created an opportunity for dialogue.