YEREVAN — A meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani experts scheduled to take place in Yerevan as part of the “Peace Bridge” initiative has been postponed at the request of the Azerbaijani side, according to CivilNet, citing Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. The Azerbaijani side reportedly said it did not consider holding the meeting appropriate at the current stage.
Members of the Armenian and Azerbaijani groups participating in the Peace Bridge initiative issued separate statements on September 14 concerning a September 11–12 visit by diplomats to Armenian-populated territories of the former Nagorno-Karabakh region now under Azerbaijani control, and the presentation of Armenian cultural heritage at the Gandzasar Monastery complex.
The Armenian group said recent developments had “deepened mistrust” and could provide additional grounds for those who argue that dialogue is meaningless.
Members of the Azerbaijani group, meanwhile, characterized the Armenian response to the visit as “hostile and unacceptable.” Their statement defended the diplomats’ visit and reiterated Azerbaijan’s official positions regarding territorial integrity and cultural heritage while criticizing the Armenian reaction.
The two-day visit involved approximately 150 representatives of the diplomatic corps from 58 countries and nine international organizations accredited in Azerbaijan.
During the visit, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev presented Armenian historical and cultural monuments, including the Gandzasar and Dadivank monasteries, to the diplomats as Christian heritage of “ancient Caucasian Albania.”
