YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh’s status and security remain priority issues for Armenia, Foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters today in the Yerablur Military Pantheon, adding that his talks with Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov have been and will be over this, reports Armenpress.

Commenting on the issue of Artsakh’s return to the negotiation table, the Armenian FM said this is a consistent work. “It is also a practical applicable issue. If such a thing doesn’t happen now, it doesn’t mean that we forgot it. This is a very concrete practical issue for us”, he said.

As for the statement on preparing to peace, the FM said he is surprised by the mood of defeat among the society.

“What is said in our, the other side’s and the Co-Chairs’ statements is a continuous, consistent policy. We have always talked about the fact that an environment leading to peace is necessary, because it’s impossible to negotiate for peace on the one hand, and hostility or to further increase the escalation tension on the other hand. We have never deviated from the issues we have said. There has never been any deviation in our position when we have highlighted the principles relating to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict, the peace talks within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship”, the Armenian FM said.

Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov met on January 16 in Paris under the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov (Russia), Stefan Visconti (France) and Andrew Shoffer (US). Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk was also present at the meeting. During the meeting the interlocutors referred to a broad scope of issues referring to the peace process, including issues of preparing the peoples to peace, as well as security and regional stability.  

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan