Arthur Hovhannisyan, Secretary of the Civil Contract parliamentary faction, stated during a parliamentary briefing that negotiations with Azerbaijan are taking place in a bilateral format. This response came when asked about obstacles to initiating talks with Azerbaijan in any framework.
"We are negotiating with Azerbaijan in a bilateral format. There is a bilateral dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we have sent very specific proposals regarding the unblocking of roads," he said.
The MP noted that meetings occur on various international platforms when Azerbaijani officials are present.
"In other words, discussions are multi-faceted, and we are using all possible opportunities to advance the peace agenda," he added.
Hovhannisyan emphasized that he does not want to rule out any format for negotiations.
"We have stated that platforms respecting principles aligned with Armenia's sovereignty are acceptable for us. We are not fixated on any single platform, as experience shows that discussions on one platform alone have not been very effective thus far," he said.
Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Armenia must engage in dialogue with the so-called “Western Azerbaijan” community, referring to nearly the entire territory of Armenia, including Yerevan.
Aliyev also claimed that Yerevan and Baku have not agreed on two points of a future peace treaty: mutual renunciation of claims in international courts and the presence of third-country forces along the border. He further stated that Armenia must fulfill two additional conditions before signing the treaty—amending its Constitution and agreeing to the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group.
