Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan contested Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's claim that Russia and the CSTO promptly addressed Azerbaijan's 2022 aggression against Armenia.
During a joint press conference in Yerevan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that both Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) responded immediately to Azerbaijan's September 2022 attack on Armenia's internationally recognized territory.
Lavrov noted that the CSTO dispatched a fact-finding mission to assess the situation and proposed deploying observers to stabilize the area. He mentioned that a consensus was reached on the mission's text, but Armenia later suggested postponing its signing. Subsequently, the European Union announced its own mission, and discussions in Prague affirmed that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh would be determined based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration, recognizing it as part of Azerbaijan.
Lavrov expressed surprise at this development, stating that the 2020 ceasefire agreement had deliberately omitted the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh's status, with an understanding that it would be resolved through future negotiations.
In response, Mirzoyan emphasized that Armenia and Russia have differing interpretations of the events. He recalled that in August 2022, Russia proposed mediation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which Armenia accepted, but Azerbaijan did not. Following Azerbaijan's attack in September, Armenia informed both Russia and CSTO allies, but found the subsequent actions unsatisfactory.
Mirzoyan highlighted that the attack on Jermuk was pivotal in Armenia's decision to freeze its CSTO membership. He reiterated Armenia's recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity based on the Almaty Declaration and expects reciprocal recognition from Azerbaijan.
Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, Mirzoyan noted that Armenia's position had long lacked international support. He acknowledged that Russia has officially recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, and Armenia does not dispute this stance.
