Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus has changed the wording of its official position regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In an interview with Mediamax, Belarusian Foreign Minister’s Spokesman Dmitry Mironchik said today:

“The key position from which the Belarusian side comes from - is a clear call to refrain from use of force or threat of force as reflected in the Charter of the United Nations and other international documents”,  said Dmitry Mironchik.

Foreign Ministry of Belarus issued a statement on April 2, which in particular said:

“As a member country of the OSCE Minsk Group, we have consistently advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict in accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of international law, first of all, based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, as well as the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and OSCE decisions”.

After this announcement, Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia Igor Nazaruk was summoned to the MFA of Armenia.

During the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharavsh Kocharyan expressed to the Ambassador the deep bewilderment of the Armenian side regarding some provisions reflected in the statement of the MFA of the Republic of Belarus on the developments around Nagorno-Karabakh, released on April 2, 2016.

It has been stated to Igor Nazaruk that such statement is incompatible to the spirit of the Armenia-Belarus relations and contradicts the commitments of the sides taken within the framework of the CSTO and other international structures, undermines the negotiation process while encouraging the use of force in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

Today Belarusian Foreign Minister’s Spokesman told Mediamax:

“We are still confident that the Karabakh problem can be resolved only by peaceful means and in accordance with universally recognized principles and norms of international law”.

Answering to Mediamax’s question whether the approaches voiced by the Armenian side at a meeting with the Ambassador of Belarus were taken into account by the official Minsk, Dmitry Mironchik said: “We have carefully heard our Armenian colleagues”.