Armenian MPs in Baku 'to prevent anti-Armenian rhetoric at Euronest'

PanARMENIAN.Net - Head of the Armenian delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Armen Ashotyan said Friday, September 22 that the delegation has come to Baku to prevent any anti-Armenian rhetoric and propaganda in the presence of European MPs.

"We came here because Euronest is an essential platform for us as Armenia is about to sign a new agreement with the European Union," APA cited him as saying.

"Another reason for our presence is that such an event could have been used for spreading anti-Armenian rhetoric and propaganda in the presence of European MPs. Sadly, we witnessed such rhetoric in some speeches, but let’s remember that we’re not here to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh conflict."

Ashotyan said that the only legitimate format for the settlement of the conflict is the Minsk Group.

“Negotiations are underway, but unfortunately Azerbaijan disrupted the process by resuming military operations in April last year," Ashotyan said.

"Today the Minsk Group seeks to restore trust between the sides. As you know, it was decided during Vienna and St. Petersburg meeting that the mandate of the OSCE monitoring mission should be expanded and a mechanism for investigating border incidents should be installed. The next round of negotiations can start only after an atmosphere of trust is established. The Karabakh issue should be resolved peacefully through the international community's security guarantees, peoples' right to self-determination and territorial integrity."

Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign minister are set to meet on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembpy on Saturday.