A regular Cabinet meeting took place today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before discussing the issues on the agenda, the Prime Minister referred to the military-political situation in the region, the accumulation and provocations of the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan.

The Prime Minister, in particular, noted:

"Dear participants of the Cabinet meeting, dear people,

In the past week, the military-political situation in our region significantly worsened. The reason is that Azerbaijan has been accumulating troops for days along the Nagorno Karabakh contact line and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The rhetoric of anti-Armenian hatred has intensified in the Azerbaijani press and propaganda platforms. The policy of encroachment on the sovereign territory of Armenia continues.

On September 1, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched another provocation against the sovereign territory of Armenia, in the Sotk sector of the Gegharkunik region, as a result of which three servicemen of the Ministry of Defense were killed. This provocation was preceded and followed by the spread of false news by Azerbaijan about the violation of the ceasefire regime by the Armenian Armed Forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

Azerbaijan continues to illegally block the Lachin Corridor. The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has reached its peak. It is obvious that with these actions, Azerbaijan demonstrates its intention to launch a new military provocation against Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia. To justify such provocation, false and untrue theses are put into circulation.

I think the situation is such that the international community, member states of the UN Security Council should take serious measures to prevent a new explosion in our region. At the same time, I emphasize the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to the agreements reached on December 14, 2021 in Brussels, October 6, 2022 in Prague, May 2023 in Brussels, as well as the trilateral declaration signed on November 9, 2020 by the President of the Russian Federation, the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

In order to address the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue within the framework of the international mechanism, and the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor in accordance with the decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, 2023, are essential.

Based on all this, the Republic of Armenia is ready and wants to sign a peace treaty normaizing relations with Azerbaijan, and we express our commitment to the peace agenda. Thank you."