Armenia must officially respond to US calls –Larisa Alaverdyan

Now that the relations between the West, particularly the United States, and Russia are strained space exploration and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) are the only areas of bilateral cooperation, Larisa Alaverdyan, Executive Director of the Foundation against the Violation of Law, told reporters on Tuesday as she commented on the US Department of State’s call to the Armenian side “return the two prisoners to the Government of Azerbaijan.”

According to Ms Alaverdyan, the US is not going to reject its parity policy.

“The United States is closely following the format of the Madrid principles,” she said. 

Despite criticism, the OSCE Minsk Group remains the key factor preventing large-scale activities. In response, Azerbaijan commits acts of sabotage.

“I think that society is expecting an official response. After all, the United States has made a proposal that needs to be answered. No matter how weak we are within, we are on the frontline of another confrontation between civilizations,” Ms Alaverdyan said.

The United State is urging Armenia to make “a humanitarian gesture” because it expects Armenia to make such a gesture. On the other hand, the US does not urge Azerbaijan to do the same because it does not expect Azerbaijan to do it.

“I think we must specify the saboteurs’ status and which points of the relevant international convention allow their transfer to Azerbaijan and whether it will be viewed as return of a hostage or extradition of a prisoner,” Ms Alaverdyan.