Yerevan, May 20. /Mediamax/. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said today that “Armenia felt the shatter of multilateralism, the crack of international institutions two years ago when Azerbaijan, violating the principle of non-use of force, unleashed a war against Nagorno-Karabakh and its people.”

He said this at the 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe held in Turin, Italy.

“It’s been a year and a half since those horrible times, and Azerbaijan claims that the Nagorno- Karabakh issue is solved and they are ready for peace.

I would sound naive but if it’s true why we still struggle for the rights of prisoners of war and detainees and their immediate release and repatriation. Why do we still struggle for cultural rights of people and policy-driven demolition of Armenian cultural heritage under Azerbaijani control? Why do we struggle for the right of children to get quality education as their schools are frequently under fire? Why do we struggle for the right of people to have basic living standards in their houses as the only gas pipeline is being cut?” he said in his speech.

He noted that Armenia struggles to make Azerbaijan understand that Nagorno Karabakh is not only a piece of territory, it is people, whose dignity should be respected

“As the devotion of human rights brought us all here then this is the issue for all of us.”

Mirzoyan also noted that the Government of Armenia is committed to the efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the region and has reiterated on numerous occasions its readiness to immediately start genuine and constructive negotiations on normalization of relations with Azerbaijan.

“And in this regard, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship has a key role to play in advancing the peace process,” he said.