Armenia blames Azerbaijan for disrupting talks

Azerbaijani officials have failed to appear at the next round of negotiations on the situation at the border, the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated. Yerevan agrees to discuss the border demarcation only after complete withdrawal of Azerbaijani military from the disputed territories.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported citing the Armenian party that since May 12, 250 Azerbaijani military servicemen entered the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions of Armenia; some of them left Armenia on May 18. In its turn, Azerbaijan insists that it is clarifying the border and does not treat the situation as a conflict.

On Wednesday (May 19), Sergey Lavrov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), said that Moscow is ready to mediate in the border demarcation process, if Armenia and Azerbaijan create a commission on this issue.

Armenia welcomes the Russia's initiative, but the precondition for the commission's work is the withdrawal of Azerbaijani militaries from the territory of Armenia. Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Armenia's Security Council, has stated this, as the "Armenpress" reports.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is obliged to react to the Armenia's appeal, since the point is about the undoubtedly Armenian lands, said Nikolai Bordyuzha, a former CSTO's Secretary General. He has added that although Azerbaijan is not a CSTO member, it has close ties with the countries that have signed the Treaty.