ArmInfo.Artsakh's status has been and remains the most important principle for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian stated this in an interview with journalists.
The Minister also commented on yesterday's interview with Igor Popov, Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group from Russia. To note, Popov commented on the article by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, concerning the 44-day war in Artsakh. In his article, Nikol Pashinyan, in particular, noted that Russia's proposals on the settlement of the conflict did not affect the status of Artsakh, and in fact it was only supposed to surrender seven regions to Azerbaijan.
Popov, in turn, stated that Russia did not offer Armenia to return seven regions "for nothing", that is, without specifying the status of Artsakh.
"I got acquainted with the interview of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair from Russia Igor Popov. I must note that Armenia at one time agreed to implement the Kazan document. Even after Azerbaijan refused to sign the document, the negotiations continued. This agreement clearly stated the basic principles for resolving the conflict, including the status of Artsakh, "Aivazian noted. The Foreign Minister noted that the trilateral statement of November 9 is not a document on the settlement of the conflict.
"This is a document on a ceasefire, an end to the war, which includes some basic principles, but the conflict cannot be resolved, since not all basic principles have been implemented, in particular, the question of self- determination of the people of Artsakh and the status of the NKR," Aivazian concluded.
Aivazian also touched upon the issue of returning Armenian prisoners of war to their homeland. According to the Minister, Pashinyan has already touched on this issue in Moscow. The Armenian Foreign Minister stressed that the country's plenipotentiary structures at the highest level are dealing with this issue.