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On March 29, the regular sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Ruben Rubinyan was held.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian presented the part of the report related to the Foreign Ministry on the Implementation on the Procedure and Results of the Government Programme for 2020.

“It was a difficult year, due to the pandemic and the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression. These phenomena created difficult challenges for all our state government bodies, especially for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Overcoming those consequences essentially shaped our working agenda,” Aivazian noted.

Due to the COVID 19, it was undertaken to support the compatriots being abroad on the spot and to organize operative works for the secure repatriation by the efforts of the international partners of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ambassadors. By now, 14.564 RA citizens returned to Armenia, 2254 out of them on free basis.

The most important priority of the foreign policy of Armenia continued to be the security of Armenia and Artsakh in 2020. The RA made efforts directed to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs until 27 September 2020. The meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan was held in Geneva by the mediation of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group last year, on June 29-30.

The pandemic restrictions had a negative influence on the planned meetings and the communication continued online.

On 25 April 2020, a statement was adopted at the distant meeting, by which the Co-chairs called on to strictly follow the global ceasefire appeal of the UN Secretary-General. “The war unleashed by the Azerbaijani-Turkish forces destroyed the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, disturbed the regional peace, security and stability,” Ara Aivazian said.

The three agreements of the ceasefire establishment were reached during the war at the level of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Large-scale works were done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on reserving the image of Azerbaijan as provoking aggression in the international community, as well as to ensure the position of the international community on the involvement of Turkey in military actions and its sponsored armed terrorists.

Touching upon the priorities of the Armenian side, the Minister noted: “The urgent and secure repatriation of the Armenian captives being under hostage is in the series of the problems which demand immediate solution”

The issue of the protection of the Armenian historical-cultural and religious heritage under the control of Azerbaijan is in the center of attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Ara Aivazian also answered to the deputies’ questions.