‘You don’t negotiate on Twitter’, Armenian diplomat calls on Azerbaijan to engage in direct talks with Nagorno-Karabakh

KORNIDZOR, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan has responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s assistant Hikmet Hajiyev who tweeted that ‘the international community should send a message to the Armenians of Karabakh on reintegration with Azerbaijan, there is no other way, the game is over’.

Marukyan told reporters in Kornidzor that this kind of a statement doesn’t befit a diplomat.

“If the lives of one hundred thousand people is a matter of a game for Azerbaijan, then I’ll leave it to the international community’s conscience, let them observe,” Marukyan said.

Speaking on Hajiyev’s ‘reintegration’ statement, Marukyan said, “Azerbaijan has the opportunity to start negotiations with Nagorno Karabakh and negotiate about this. Let them negotiate. The representatives of Nagorno Karabakh will decide what they want. The issue of guarantees of rights and security under an international mechanism must be addressed within the framework of Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan negotiations.”

‘Go and negotiate. You don’t negotiate on Twitter,” he added.

He also denied Azeri accusations that Armenia’s attempt to send a humanitarian convoy to Nagorno-Karabakh is a ‘provocation’. Marukyan said the initiative is an attempt to save people from starving to death. “So according to them, blockading people isn’t a provocation? Cutting off gas and electricity supply, blocking connection with the outside world isn’t a provocation? But supplying cooking oil, flour, essential medication and baby food is? Provocation is when you threaten people with genocide, ethnic cleansing, a provocation is when you tell thousands of starving people ‘your game is over’,” Marukyan said.

The ambassador-at-large added that Armenia had specially announced that the humanitarian convoy wouldn’t approach the Hakari Bridge, but would reach the state border of Armenia and transfer the cargo to the Russian peacekeepers, who would then deliver it to Nagorno-Karabakh.

He said that Azerbaijan’s actions constitute a mass violation of international humanitarian law and the crisis is getting worse day by day.

Marukyan expressed hope that they will succeed in conveying the goods to the Russian peacekeepers, who would then deliver it to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The convoy carrying 360 tons of food and medication has reached the Kornidzor village of Syunik Province.