The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on Monday welcomed the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Saturday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
This came in a statement issued by the spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, a copy of which reached The Eastern Herald.
The Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group said in a statement on Saturday that the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jehun Bayramov and Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met on the sidelines of the General Assembly, for the first time since November 2020.
The Minsk statement considered that “the holding of such a meeting is evidence of the two countries’ determination to resume the peace process through direct dialogue aimed at ensuring security, stability, and prosperity in the region.”
And “Minsk” is an international group established in 1992 headed by France, Russia, and the United States, to encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in dialogue and mediate between them to find a peaceful solution to the issue of the occupied “Karabakh” region.
While the statement of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General said, on Monday, that “a year after the hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, the Secretary-General is encouraged to resume direct participation at the level of foreign ministers and hopes that these efforts will continue as part of a broader dialogue to resolve outstanding issues and reach a settlement.” permanent peace.”
“The Secretary-General reiterates his full support for the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairs and urges all concerned to focus their attention on advancing peace and cooperation at all levels for the benefit of the peoples of the region,” the spokesperson added.
Guterres stressed in the statement that “the United Nations stands ready to support these efforts through its ongoing work in the humanitarian field, recovery, development, and peacebuilding on the ground.
In 1992, Armenia occupied about 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including the “Karabakh” region, in addition to large parts of the “Aghdam” and “Fuzoli” provinces.
On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army launched an operation to liberate its occupied lands in the region, and after fierce battles that lasted 44 days, Russia announced that Azerbaijan and Armenia had reached a ceasefire agreement stipulating that Azerbaijan would regain control of the occupied provinces before the end of that year.
