ArmInfo. Artsakh's Foreign Ministry issued a statement in connection with the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on ways to resolve the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict.
Thus, in the statement of the NKR Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan, it is noted that in connection with the statements recently voiced by the Russian Foreign Minister regarding the peace process to resolve the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and, in particular, about the active discussion of the draft stage-by-stage settlement of the conflict, he considers it necessary to emphasize the following:
"The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have repeatedly stated that in the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict they are guided by the two highest values for the people of Artsakh - independence and security. For Artsakh, any proposals that may threaten these values are unacceptable. The people of Artsakh exercised their inalienable right to self-determination in an independence referendum in 1991 and subsequently at least twice expressed their will in referenda on the adoption of the Constitution in 2006 and 2017. Artsakh authorities and society remain committed to the chosen path and will continue to make consistent efforts to strengthen and develop their independent and democratic state, which plays a stabilizing role in the region with its responsible policy. Attempts to ignore the existing reality only postpone the prospects for a final settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, which must certainly be based on the recognition of the fact that the people of Artsakh exercise their right to self- determination. "
He also considered it necessary to note the futility of the search for possible solutions to the problem on the basis of territorial concessions by the Artsakh side, since the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial dispute. As for territorial concessions, continued Mayilyan, this is a direct path to the destruction of the security system not only of the Republic of Artsakh, but also of the Republic of Armenia, and in this case the very existence of the indigenous population in their historical homeland will be jeopardized. The Foreign Minister also emphasized that the recent elections in Artsakh have convincingly demonstrated the consensus regarding the inadmissibility of territorial concessions that has developed both in society and among the political forces of the republic.
"The statement regarding the format of the negotiation process also deserves special attention. The Russian Foreign Minister acknowledged the direct participation of Artsakh in the negotiations in the past, but at the same time called the bilateral format of the Armenia-Azerbaijan meetings under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and with the participation of the Personal Representative OSCE Chairperson-in- Office useful and good, however, the usefulness of the format can be judged solely by the results achieved. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that it was in trilateral, and not bilateral format that the only real result was achieved in the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict - an unlimited ceasefire agreement of May 12, 1994. Thus, in four years of full-format trilateral negotiations, much more was achieved than in the subsequent more than 20 years of bilateral meetings in Armenia- Azerbaijan format. The trilateral format has proved its effectiveness in practice, and therefore its restoration will be a serious contribution to the process of peaceful settlement of Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, "the Artsakh Foreign Minister said.
He recalled that last fall, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated that the positions of the authorities of Artsakh and Armenia to resolve the conflict were identical and this position was confirmed by the authorities of Artsakh. According to him, this does not mean that Armenia should represent the interests of Artsakh in the negotiations.
"We are convinced that the interests of the people of Artsakh in the negotiation process should be represented by officials of the Republic of Artsakh with an appropriate mandate from the people. The Republic of Armenia, for its part, will continue to protect the interests of the Republic of Artsakh in the international arena and at meetings under the OSCE Minsk Group.
It should be noted that the proposals voiced by the Russian Foreign Minister are one of the many modifications of the so-called Madrid principles. In this regard, we consider it necessary to recall that immediately after the publication of the main elements of the Madrid Principles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement on July 15, 2009, urging those interested in a peaceful settlement to prevent a violation of the status quo in the region caused by forcing the negotiation process on the basis of the proposed settlement formula. It was noted that any attempts to return Artsakh to the past are not only counterproductive, but also fraught with a new escalation of the conflict. The statement emphasized that the reboot of the distorted negotiation process, the return of the Republic of Artsakh to the negotiating table as a full party to the negotiation process and the transformation of the basic principles of the settlement are required. This position of the Artsakh authorities remains unchanged.
The April aggression of Azerbaijan in 2016 convincingly demonstrated the validity of the claims of the Artsakh side about the danger of a new escalation of the conflict in any attempt to change the current status quo, which is one of the foundations of the security system not only for the Artsakh Republic, but also for the region as a whole.
As for the issues considered at this stage, the parties are not discussing a specific settlement plan. This means that there are no so-called Madrid or other offers on the table. Obviously, the most urgent problems now are strengthening the ceasefire, introducing a risk reduction mechanism on the Line of Contact of the armed forces, and implementing confidence-building measures. Within the framework of precisely these issues, discussions are held at the meetings of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as evidenced by the statements of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Statements by official Baku, which repeatedly complained about the absence of substantive negotiations, also point to the fact that a concrete settlement plan is not being discussed, "Mayilyan concluded.
On April 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, referring to the Karabakh settlement, noted that there are various projects to resolve the conflict. He added that projects that were presented a year ago, in April last year in Moscow at a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia with the participation of the co-chairs, are being actively discussed. "These documents presuppose progress towards a settlement on the basis of a phased approach, suggesting at the first stage the solution of the most pressing problems, the liberation of a number of areas around Nagorno-Karabakh and the unblocking of transport, economic, and other communications. So, I'm convinced that when we come to a decision on the signing of these documents it will be the most important step in implementing UN Security Council resolutions that called for an end to the war and the start of an agreement "- the Russian minister summed up.
This statement of Lavrov caused a wide public outcry in Armenia. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan also reacted to this statement, who, referring to the issue of territorial concessions, emphasized that, among other things, it is a security zone and defense lines, not a single Armenian side can even assume that they can be revised, jeopardizing security of the population of Artsakh.
"No one can even suggest that one of the Armenian parties may make concessions that could compromise security of the population of Artsakh. The second important element underlying the basic principles of settlement is the principle of self-determination, which is priority for the Armenian side in these negotiations. We have repeatedly emphasized status and security as a priority. Now I am more openly saying that the manifestation of self-determination means a concretization of status. The right to freedom of expression without restrictions, a peaceful settlement is possible on the basis of mutual concessions, "said the Armenian Foreign Minister.
He once again emphasized that the Armenian side will never make concessions that create threats to the security of the people of Artsakh, and even more so in those conditions when this threat continues to be real and existential today. "And for the Armenian side, the expression of the right to self-determination in this negotiation process is more than priority. Mutual concessions should be proportionate. We see in them a full reflection of the elements of security and status. This is the invariable approach of the Armenian side, which we always talk about during negotiations," Mnatsakanyan assured, adding that the public does not have a different picture of the negotiations, and nothing is hidden from it, since this is simply impossible.