Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov has held a phone talk with Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, the current Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Buyar Osmani, according to the Azerbaijani MFA.
Issues of cooperation within the OSCE, the agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and North Macedonia, the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process and the current situation in the region were discussed during a telephone conversation.
"Jeyhun Bayramov noted that the increasing provocations of Armenia against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan are designed to hinder the progress of the peace process. In particular, it was said that the provocations committed by Armenia against the Lachin border checkpoint, which threaten the efforts for the reintegration of Armenians living in the region, show that this country is not interested in the peace process," the statement reads.
The minister added that there are no grounds for Yerevan's claims, such as the "tense humanitarian situation in the region" and "blockade", and the refusal to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road proposed by Azerbaijan to meet the needs of Armenian residents indicates that the issue is not humanitarian, as it is presented by Armenia, but political.
Bayramov recalled that for almost 30 years Armenia kept the lands of Azerbaijan under occupation, used the Lachin road for military purposes, plundered the natural resources of Azerbaijan. The diplomat stressed the importance of the Lachin border checkpoint for preventing provocative steps of Armenia.
