Artsakh MFA: May 1994 ceasefire agreement is only tangible achievement in entire process of conflict settlement
At the initiative of the Republic of Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities signed by Artsakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan was held Friday in capital city Stepanakert, Artsakh MFA stated.
Artsakh MFA: May 1994 ceasefire agreement is only tangible achievement in entire process of conflict settlement
STEPANAKERT, MAY 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: Former co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Vladimir Kazimirov, also participated in the event as an honorary guest.
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, Masis Mayilian, delivered an address at the conference.
In his speech, the Foreign Minister noted that the 25th anniversary of this agreement is a good opportunity to evaluate the event, as well as to summarize some results and outline the steps needed to strengthen the ceasefire and increase the effectiveness of the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict.
Noting the importance of this agreement on the full cessation of fire and hostilities, Masis Mayilian, in particular, stressed that the termless trilateral agreement of May 12, 1994 is, in fact, the only tangible achievement in the entire process of the conflict settlement, and which put an end to the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and transferred the conflict to the politico-diplomatic arena. Thus, conditions were created for the parties to focus their efforts on finding ways for the final settlement of the conflict through negotiations, supported by the international mediators.
Mayilian stressed that the Artsakh party to this conflict had always adhered to the commitments assumed under the May 12, 1994 agreement, as well as had repeatedly come forward with initiatives on ensuring the irreversibility of the peace process. As an example, the FM noted the readiness of Artsakh authorities to provide the international mediators with the data of the video monitoring system on the situation on the border, adding that this system could become part of the international mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire.
In this context, Masis Mayilian also noted the importance of implementation of the agreements that were reached at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg that were held after the war in April 2016.
In his speech, the Artsakh FM also stressed the matter of the line of demarcation between the conflicting forces, and which the three parties had fixed as part of the ceasefire, and under the mediation of the Defense Ministry of Russia. Therefore, as per Mayilian, the implementation of the ceasefire agreement also means the restoration of the agreed ceasefire line, which was violated by Azerbaijan in April 2016.
Masis Mayilian expressed a conviction that the combination and complementarity of the diplomatic and politico-military conditions—restoration of direct trilateral negotiations, consolidation of the ceasefire, and ensuring the irreversibility of the peace process—will create the necessary preconditions for real progress in the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, and for ensuring lasting stability in the South Caucasus.
