Friday, April 15 2016 20:00

Kazan document in fact includes the same Madrid principles with certain amendments and consists of provisions, which are more positive for Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan told journalists on April 15. 

As the document has not been published Kocharyan refrained from giving assessments to the proposed document. However, he stated that according to the official statements made by OSCE MG Co-Chairs the same components and principles, which the CO-Chairs regularly voice, are included in the document. 

According to him, MG OSCE Co-Chairs have stated repeatedly that Karabakh will become a member of negotiation process at a certain phase. "Kazan document envisaged such phase, at which Karabakh would join negotiations if the two countries agreed and three of them would work on the agreement", he stated.  Kocharyan explained that according to the Co-Chairs vision as soon as the development of the agreement starts, Karabakh should enter the process. "However, the recent events demonstrated that the sooner Nagorno-Karabakh is involved in the negotiations the more efficient they will be", emphasized the Deputy Minister. 

Earlier touching upon Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement that all the components of the agreement on Karabakh settlement are on the table and the sides are very close to the settlement Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tigran Balayan said that the Kazan document proposed to the parties in 2011 is currently on the negotiating table. "Azerbaijan is reluctant to accept it despite the fact that it was agreed with Baku in advance. We have repeatedly spoken about it.  During a meeting in Kazan, Ilham Aliyev made 10 new proposals and actually failed the agreement of the conflict resolution principles," Tigran Balayan says.  

To recall, the Kazan document consists of 14 provisions. It implies determination of the final status of Karabakh, as well as return of the territories surrounding Karabakh to Azerbaijan with the corridor linking Karabakh to Armenia.  Other principles concern the return of both sides' refugees to their former residence places, an interim status ensuring the security and self-government of Karabakh, as well as international security guarantees to ensure the implementation of the agreement.  
To note, that Madrid principles of Karabakh settlement include: return of territories surrounding Nagorno- Karabakh under Azerbaijan's control, an interim status ensuring the security and self-government of Karabakh, corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, future determination of Nagorno-Karabakh's final status by expression of its population's will, which will have legal force, right for all the refugees to return to their former residence places and international guarantees of security including peacekeeping operation.