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The RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations debated and took note of the report on the process and the results of the implementation of the RA Government Programme (2021-2026) for 2023 at March 15 sitting.

The RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan detailed the programmes and measures implemented last year, spoke about the situation created after the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor. According to him, the efforts of the Armenian side from the first day were aimed at raising awareness of the problem and ensuring international involvement. It was noted that significant work has been done in this direction at different levels. The Minister mentioned the special procedures, the messages published by the mandate holders, the letters calling on Azerbaijan to remove the blocking of the Lachin Corridor and stop the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Ararat Mirzoyan detailed the steps taken in this direction both inside the country and abroad, the statements, resolutions and calls of the international structures, states, and reputable organizations regarding what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh. The steps taken by the Armenian Government to meet the needs of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh were presented in the international arena.

Touching upon the diplomatic work, Ararat Mirzoyan noted that the regulation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations was one of the most important directions. The Minister reaffirmed the principles acceptable to the Armenian side in the peace process, highlighted the principles of sovereignty, national jurisdiction, reciprocity and equality of the countries in the context of unblocking the regional infrastructures.

The Minister referred to the Crossroads of Peace project and expressed conviction that its implementation will not only be economically beneficial for the region and the countries outside the region, but also will become a significant factor in ensuring peace and contributing to it. He assured that the work in this direction is in process.

Although no tangible results have been regarding the regulation of Armenia-Turkey relations, intensive steps have been taken. The rapporteur detailed the work carried out at both the legislative and executive levels.

It was pointed out that the Armenia-Russia dialogue continued at a high level in the reporting year, there were two meetings and 9 telephone conversations between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation. Various joint sessions were held.

The strengthening of the RA-US strategic dialogue and partnership continued, numerous telephone conversations and meetings were held.

The RA-EU political dialogue has deepened significantly, including new components, including in the field of security. Ararat Mirzoyan referred to the deployment of the EU Civilian Observation Mission in Armenia and noted that after that the tension on the border decreased significantly.

In 2023, a dialogue on political and security issues was launched between the RA and the EU, and the work of the statutory bodies under the RA-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement continued. According to the Minister, the Prime Minister's visit to the European Parliament on October 16 and his speech during the plenary session of the European Parliament were key for the RA-EU relations. Bilateral contacts, meetings and telephone conversations continued at different levels.

The Minister spoke about the special relations between Armenia and France, detailed the effective dynamics of bilateral contacts, the vision of economic cooperation.

The agenda of our country’s diplomatic relations with Georgia, Iran, Germany, India, Estonia, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Korea, UAE, Syria and a number of other partner countries was also introduced.

Addressing the work carried out within the framework of international organizations, the Minister presented what was done within the framework of the EEU, OSCE, CSTO, CIS, UN, EP and other organizations. Ararat Mirzoyan informed that our participation in the CSTO has been somewhat frozen. “Until now, it is unclear to us how our CSTO partners imagine their area of responsibility in the South Caucasus,” the rapporteur underlined.

In the format of Q&A session, the issue of how the Government’s activity corresponds to the programme approved by the National Assembly, particularly regarding the CSTO, was addressed. According to Ararat Mirzoyan, events happened that made it impossible to carry out separately, and our participation in the CSTO did not correspond to what was presented in 2021. “There was an attack on Armenia, our borders were violated, and we did not receive an adequate response to the obligations of this organization,” the Minister underscored.

The possibility of the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, the steps taken in this matter, the process of Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations, and the rumors about handing over some territories were also discussed.

“We are not negotiating on handing over villages from Tavush region. No official of the Republic of Armenia has the right to hold any negotiations regarding handing over not only the Tavush region, but also any village in the territory of the Republic of Armenia to anyone. This is an axiomatic truth,” Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed.

According to the Minister, the recognition of mutual territorial integrity between the two countries and the process of demarcation should take place on the basis of the Alma-Ata Declaration, which means that the borders between the two countries, which were at the time of the collapse of the USSR, should be reproduced on the ground. “This is our vision. We have no confidence that the Azerbaijani side fully accepts this,” the Minister stated and reminded that the Azerbaijani side accepts and signed the Declaration. The President of Azerbaijan publicly accepted the same in writing first on October 6, 2022 in Prague, then in Sochi and Brussels. “Unfortunately, in Azerbaijan sometimes there are individual positions that backtrack from the agreements that we consider to have reached at some stage, and this is not one of those exceptions,” Ararat Mirzoyan noted.

The Minister presented the mechanisms and steps aimed at increasing the level of security, the deputies referred to the Armenian-Russian relations, the stages of the negotiation process with Azerbaijan, the situation created after the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Government’s policy, the security environment, the future relations with the CSTO and the foreign diplomatic front priorities.

Ararat Mirzoyan officially announced that the Republic of Armenia is not involved in any programme against anyone and is not building relations. He assured that the deepening of our relations with the West, for example with the EU, is not directed against Russia. The goal is only to increase the security of the RA. The same applies to the relations with the neighbouring countries.