“Everything must be done to reach a lasting and just peace agreement,” says Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
“I think the most important step will be for the European Union to put maximum pressure on Azerbaijan,” former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a press conference in Jermuk, referring to the fact that Azerbaijan continues to disregard the decision of the UN Court. Stating that the EU has agreed on the energy sector with Azerbaijan, he noted: “It can be used as a platform for a critical dialogue with the authorities of Azerbaijan. Maybe President Aliyev, like Putin, is an autocrat. Still, I don’t think President Aliyev would like to be in the same situation as Putin and be considered an international aggressor. That is why I once again call on President Aliyev to lift the blockade of Lachin Corridor immediately.”
To the argument that the organization he led has been conducting consulting activities with the office of the President of Ukraine since June 2022 and to the question: do you plan a similar cooperation with Armenia? , the former NATO Secretary General answered: “Yes, we would like to have a very close cooperation with the Armenian Government, and it will be a broad cooperation that will affect a wide range of people. Naturally, we are talking about political support from the EU. We must raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno- Karabakh.
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And the international community should exert maximum pressure on Azerbaijan to resolve this issue. We want to support the RA government in raising the political dialogue with the EU to an even higher level, including a dialogue on security policy. The EU has a wide range of tools that can be useful for Armenia. Therefore, the Republic of Armenia needs an even wider range of international partners than today.”
To our clarification: Has RA expressed its expectation of military-political support? Anders Fogh Rasmussen answered: “In general, yes. However, we did not discuss the details of military cooperation. When I was the Secretary General of NATO, I visited Armenia more than ten years ago to thank Armenia for participating in NATO’s peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. From that point of view, we have a rather long history of partnership, which can be expanded by involving the EU as well. For example, the EU has a European peace system, which can be a framework for cooperation between Armenia and the EU.”
To the question: as a former Secretary General of NATO, does he advise the NATO leadership after consultations with any country, he answered: “No way. NATO itself makes a decision. I am here at the invitation of the RA Government to strengthen relations with the EU and the West in general.”
To the observation that mediators in international negotiations emphasize the need to guarantee the safety and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Anders Fogh Rasmussen answered: “We must do everything to reach a lasting and just peace agreement. It should guarantee the rights and security of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh. We must have a particular international mechanism to monitor, control, and ensure those rights and security guarantees. It remains to be seen how that international mechanism will be formed, but a peacekeeping contingent enjoying the United Nations mandate would be perfect. When a peacekeeping contingent is mentioned, they must have a clear mission and mandate that will allow them to ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno- Karabakh.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
