The session of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Foreign Ministers was held on April 2 in Moscow. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian also participated in the session.
The discussion focused on issues relating to strengthening the cooperation between the CIS states, raising the efficiency of the organization, etc.
During the session, the foreign ministers of the CIS countries touched upon the current regional affairs, as well as approved the draft decision on the statement of the CIS states leaders, addressed to the nations of the participating states and the global community on the 80-th anniversary of the launch of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) .
Foreign Minister Aivazian stated that the victory in the Great Patriotic War “is also a clear call to build peace without wars, conflicts and violence.”
In the context of regional security and stability-related issues, the Foreign Minister drew the attention of the session participants to the current humanitarian situation in Artsakh caused by the recent 44-day Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression with the involvement of foreign terrorists. He presented in details the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during the military operations, such as the deliberate targeting of the peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructure, the inhuman treatment against the prisoners of war (POWs) and other detained citizens, stating that all these actions were aimed at eliminating the indigenous people of Artsakh in their historic Homeland.
Minister Aivazian also touched upon the implementation process of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, stressing the necessity of the immediate return of Armenian POWs and detained civilians from the Azerbaijani captivity.
In addition, the minister also raised the issue of alarming facts on vandalism against the Armenian religious and cultural heritage. He emphasized the impermissibility of another cultural genocide by Azerbaijan, noting that the establishment of peace on the ruins of the Armenian churches is impossible.
Summing up his remarks the minister said lasting and stable peace in the region is possible to achieve only through the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principles of the international law, the people’s right to self-determination and equality, within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.
