Azerbaijani FM: Situation around Lachin road is not humanitarian in nature PHOTO

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that the situation around the Lachin road is political rather than humanitarian in nature.

Bayramov made the remarks during a meeting with Chairman of Hungarian National Assembly of László Kövér on September 5, within the framework of his official visit to the country, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The meeting discussed topical issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries, inter-parliamentary ties and current regional situation.

Bayramov expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary in political, economic, energy, humanitarian, educational, cultural and other spheres. The presence of mutually beneficial cooperation within a number of international organizations, particularly the Organization of Turkic States, as well as the importance of further increasing the intensity of parliamentary diplomacy, including the activity of inter-parliamentary friendship groups was noted.

Bayramov informed the interlocutor in detail about the consequences of Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories for almost 30 years, the current situation and new regional realities in the post-conflict period, the large-scale reconstruction and construction works carried out in the liberated territories, the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

He said that despite Azerbaijan's efforts to promote the peace agenda, Armenia continues military-political provocations against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

The minister added that Armenia’s refusal to withdraw its armed forces from the Azerbaijani territories hinders the establishment of stable peace in the region and is the main source of threat. Bayramov also spoke about the continuing mine threat in the region.

It was emphasized that the Armenian side rejected the proposal to open the Aghdam-Khankendi road and parallel intensification of the use of the Lachin road to meet the needs of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region. It was noted that this rejection shows that the current situation around the Lachin road is not humanitarian, as Armenia claims, but political.

Mr. László Kövér stated the importance of contacts at the highest level, close cooperation between the Presidents of the parliaments, as well as between the parliamentary friendship groups and experts. The existence of perspectives for the further development of relations and the importance of using the opportunities in that direction were emphasized.