No:020/23, Press release on phone conversation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands Vopke Hoekstra
On 19 January, 2023, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov had a phone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands Vopke Hoekstra.
During the phone conversation, the sides discussed regional issues, including the negotiation process on the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the situation around the Lachin road.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov informed his counterpart that the reasons for the legitimate protests of Azerbaijani citizens are the plundering of natural resources of Azerbaijan, abuse of the Lachin road which was intended to be used for humanitarian purposes for illegal economic and military activities, and consequent landmine threat that has caused 282 Azerbaijanis to be the mine victims.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also emphasized that in light of the unimpeded movement of the convoys of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as Armenian ambulance vehicles, totaling more than 800 vehicles, all allegations on so-called “humanitarian catastrophe” in the region and “closure of the Lachin road” are completely groundless.
It was reiterated that Azerbaijan, as a party that has submitted the first draft of the peace agreement, stands ready to continue negotiations on the draft as soon as possible.
During the phone conversation, other regional issues were also discussed.
