ArmInfo. The joint meeting of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh is an unprecedented event in the history of the two Armenian republics, which means that a qualitatively new stage has taken shape in relations between the countries. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan before the meeting stated this.
As Pashinyan stressed, in the parliamentary elections of December 9, 2018, the My Step bloc received a strong mandate from the people to promote the idea of returning Artsakh to the negotiation process as an equal party. This provision, he said, was one of the key points in the program of the My Step bloc.
Pashinyan stressed that he, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the government will be consistent in this matter. "This issue was and will be one of the key issues on the agenda with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. I would like to emphasize that the issue of returning Artsakh to the negotiating table is not an ultimatum or whim. Just Artsakh's participation in resolving the Karabakh issue is a priority "- said Pashinyan.
According to Pashinyan, this position reflects not only respect for the people of Artsakh and their rights, but also all participants in the process, since it demonstrates a commitment to a peaceful settlement of the problem, which is a priority for the Armenian side.
"All parties are represented in the talks so far: Azerbaijan represented by President Aliyev, who, according to his own statement, also represents the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh; the international community represented by Minsk mediators; Armenia, which I represent. This is all, of course "Well, we highly appreciate the efforts of the mediators in the direction of resolving the conflict. But the question is who represents Artsakh in the negotiations? No one," Pashinyan noted.
He stressed that he had repeatedly stated that it was impossible for the Armenian Prime Minister to represent Artsakh at the negotiating table: "Why?", because the Artsakh people did not elect him. And this is a question of legitimacy, not an ultimatum and not a whim. And legitimacy is the cornerstone in any political relationship in the modern world, " Pashinyan said.
At the same time, he considered absurd the assertions that Armenia or its prime minister are trying to cast off responsibility for the settlement process against Artsakh or its people. "In order to stop any speculation, I want to emphasize that Armenia was, is and will be the guarantor of the security of Artsakh number one, continuing its involvement in the peace process," the premier said.
Another priority issue, Pashinyan stressed, is whether the Armenian government accepts the three principles presented by the mediators (the right of peoples to self-determination, the territorial integrity of states and non-use of force) and 6 elements (including the transfer of territories under the control of the Armenian side to Azerbaijan, return of refugees to these areas, delayed referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ed. note).
"This is an important question, but in order to answer it, we need clarification - what these principles mean in reality, and who has the right to interpret them," said Pashinyan. According to the Armenian Prime Minister, this is important, since, for example, Azerbaijan's interpretation of these principles and elements is not acceptable to the Armenian side.
"Of course, we can also interpret them in our own way, but this is inexpedient, because for us the priority is not polemics, but ensuring efficient negotiations. Therefore, the negotiations should be based on provisions that do not leave room for different interpretations. Meanwhile, the provisions proposed by the mediators and elements over these 10 years have been subject to various interpretations. Consequently, in the upcoming negotiations the main emphasis should be put on explaining these 3 principles and 6 elements. We are ready for such a conversation. " Pashinyan stated.
The next important point, he stressed, is the issue of preparing peoples for peace. "I want to note that this issue cannot be the prerogative of the authorities of any particular party to the negotiations. This issue requires joint efforts. For example, the preparation of Azerbaijan's population for peace should be carried out not only by the efforts of the authorities of this country, but also by the authorities of Armenia. I was encouraged to speak in the fall of 2018 from the rostrum of the Armenian parliament with an unprecedented statement for our society, stressing that any solution to the Karabakh conflict should be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan. This was my contribution to the preparation of the peoples of not only Armenia and Artsakh, but also Azerbaijan for peace, "said Pashinyan, while stressing with regret that there was no similar response from the President of Azerbaijan.
Despite this, Pashinyan expressed readiness to continue the dialogue not only with the President of Azerbaijan, but also with his people, because he was confident in his peace-lovingness as much as in the peace-loving nature of the peoples of Armenia and Artsakh.