YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statements are directly violating their own international obligations, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM said that Aliyev’s statements and the blockade of the corridor create new obstacles for the peace process, but didn’t rule out that perhaps this is Azerbaijan’s ultimate goal.

The PM made the remarks during parliamentary questions time when asked to comment on Aliyev’s recent territorial demands, as well as the international reaction.

“I think, and our international contacts also show that the international community’s perception on this situation is increasing and growing. And I think that generally these statements have a provocative nature, they seek to create escalation. It is our accurate reaction to these statements that should be a certain factor of stability in the region. Essentially, we are very clearly stating that based on the Prague agreements we are ready to move towards the signing of the peace treaty,” PM Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM emphasized that the Azeri president’s statements are first of all contradicting the agreements that have been reached.

By saying the perception of international community, the PM said he means that it is becoming obvious in the world that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and Aliyev’s statements itself are a violation of the international obligations assumed by Azerbaijan.

The PM said he believes that negotiated and political solutions are the best method to maintain the situation stable in the region. “And we are ready to continue the same way we assumed our readiness and responsibility. It is obvious that the international community is recording that the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and Azerbaijan’s aggressive statements are creating new obstacles for the peace process. But, one question. Who said that this itself isn’t what Azerbaijan wants? Who says that this itself isn’t Azerbaijan’s far-reaching goal, to entirely derail the peace process with that kind of provocative statements and by using our possible reactions,” the PM said, highlighting the need to maintain the method of attitude from the Armenian side.

He said the Armenian side’s reaction to the Azeri actions must be asymmetric, i.e. active international diplomacy and further empowerment of domestic institutional capacity and state institutions, maintaining the reforms agenda and the peace agenda.