Armenian National Assembly President Alen Simonyan, at an event today in Almaty (Kazakhstan) marking the thirtieth anniversary of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, said the situation in Karabakh is very tense and that Azerbaijani military provocations, against the backdrop of global security developments, could ignite a new round of military escalation in the South Caucasus.

"We are ready for a dialogue, which should lead to the establishment of lasting peace in the region. Reaffirming our previously formulated position, we propose to Azerbaijan to immediately start negotiations on concluding a peace agreement,” Simonyan said, according to a statement released by his office.

Simonyan told event participants that recent Azerbaijani military moves in Karabakh, including the occupation of the village of Parukh and the use of drones, have resulted in civilian casualties and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis there.

"We expect that the peacekeeping force of the Russian Federation in Nagorno Karabakh will take practical steps to resolve the situation and prevent new casualties and hostilities and will return Azerbaijani forces to their positions on March 23," Simonyan said.

Simonyan stressed that the preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage in the territories now under Azerbaijani military control is crucial.

Simonyan said the guarantee of the rights and freedoms of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh remain fundamental issues for Armenia.