On May 4, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan arrived in the Czech Republic on a two-day official visit, the Press Office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported.

Meeting with the President

On the same day, Nikol Pashinyan met with Petr Pavel, the President of the Czech Republic, at the presidential residence of Prague Castle.

"The interlocutors discussed several issues related to the further development and strengthening of Armenian-Czech relations. In particular, cooperation in both the political and economic spheres was emphasized. Cooperation in the fields of high technologies, education, and tourism was considered promising. The Czech side noted that they are interested in the experience of Tumo centers in Armenia and cooperation in the direction of opening a similar center in Prague," the report added.

"The parties exchanged ideas on developments in the South Caucasus region. Prime Minister Pashinyan presented details about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and emphasized the importance of the international community's consistent response. Both sides emphasized the need to implement the decision of the UN International Court on unblocking the corridor," it said.

In the context of strengthening peace and stability, the European Union's civilian mission deployment in Armenia was highlighted.

Meeting with the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament

On May 4, Nikol Pashinyan met with Markéta Pekarová Adamová, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament.

The interlocutors emphasized the steps aimed at the further development and expansion of cooperation between the two countries' parliamentarians, as well as cooperation in international structures. Adamová said she plans to visit Armenia shortly, accompanied by the MPs of the bilateral friendship group.

Prime Minister Pashinyan welcomed the initiative and added that Armenia is interested in expanding ties with the Czech Republic in various directions.

Meeting with Prime Minister

On the same day, the Armenian Prime Minister met with Petr Fiala, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. Nikol Pashinyan and Petr Fiala had a private conversation, followed by the negotiations continued in an expanded format within the framework of the official dinner.

A wide range of issues related to the further development and expansion of Armenian-Czech relations were discussed at the meeting. In particular, the partnership in the political, economic, and humanitarian spheres and the prospects of their deepening were discussed.

"Prime Minister Pashinyan referred to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and highlighted the consistent response of the international community to what is happening," the report said.

Moreover, Prime Ministers of Armenia and the Czech Republic, Nikol Pashinyan and Petr Fiala, signed a joint Declaration on the relations between the two countries after the meeting.

Press statements

At a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala in Prague, Pashinyan said that the situation in the South Caucasus remains tense despite all efforts. According to Pashinyan, despite all the agreements, Azerbaijan continues to try to aggravate the situation on the border with Armenia, in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Lachin corridor.

"The establishment by the Azerbaijani side of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor and the transport blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh that preceded this are gross violations of the tripartite statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, as well as the decision of the International Court of Justice, adopted in February this year," the Prime Minister noted. "In addition, for the past four months, there have been interruptions in the supply of gas and electricity in Nagorno-Karabakh, and food products in the unrecognized republic are sold on coupons," Pashinyan recalled.

The Armenian leader expects a targeted assessment of Baku's actions from the international community. In this situation, he considered it necessary to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor. At the same time, as Pashinyan stressed, the government he leads adheres to a peaceful agenda, considering regional peace as uncontested.

"Yerevan is fully involved in the negotiation process with Baku, being focused on the result and not on negotiations for the sake of negotiations. Armenia hopes that Azerbaijan will give up belligerent rhetoric and threats to use force," he concluded.

Response from Azerbaijan

On the same day, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that during his joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on May 4, Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly voiced his claims regarding the establishment of a checkpoint on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, as well as Azerbaijan's alleged escalation of the situation on the border with Armenia, and the creation of a humanitarian crisis in the Karabakh region.

"Any comment on the issue of the establishment of the 'Lachin' border checkpoint, which Azerbaijan created on its sovereign territory and where Armenian residents have already started to cross transparently in both directions, is unacceptable. The Armenian side should stop interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and stop its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan for many years," the report added.

"As for the prime minister's absurd ideas about 'ethnic cleansing,' let us note that blaming Azerbaijan for such acts instead of admitting and apologizing for the policy of mass massacres and deportations with particular cruelty against Azerbaijanis throughout history is an indication of not learning from history," the information added.

"It does not serve peace for the Armenian side to make such statements at a time when the negotiations on the peace agreement are ongoing," the ministry concluded.