site.btaForeign Ministry Calls on Azerbaijan to Guarantee Respect for All Rights of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian Population

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry is closely and with great concern following the developments in Karabakh, including the military operation of the Azerbaijani armed forces on September 19, 2023 and the subsequent ceasefire, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

The Ministry says it welcomes the efforts undertaken by official Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives, including Tuesday's meeting held in Brussels, aimed at ending all hostilities and settling the situation in Karabakh, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, as well as unconditional respect for the rights of the Armenian population in the region.

The Ministry strongly supports the mediation role of the President of the European Council and the efforts of his team to achieve concrete and sustainable results in the negotiations between Yerevan and Baku, including preparations for the expected meeting of the leaders of the two countries on October 5, 2023 in Granada, in the framework of the upcoming third meeting of the European political community.

"We are deeply concerned by reports of the growing number of ethnic Armenians, now over 20,000, who are leaving the Karabakh region and seeking asylum in the Republic of Armenia. In this regard, we call on the authorities in Baku to immediately provide clear and sustainable guarantees of equality and respect for all the rights of the Armenian population of Karabakh in the spirit of established European standards and the current legal order in the Republic of Azerbaijan," the press release reads.

The Ministry say it considers it most urgent at this time to ensure transparency and access for international humanitarian and human rights organisations on the spot in order to provide humanitarian support and address the immediate needs of the local population, and to ensure their security.