Babayan: Stepanakert is not familiar with the document on the  Karabakh settlement, which envisages return of the territories with  no word about the status of Artsakh

ArmInfo.Stepanakert considers that in order to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region, it is necessary to restore full-fledged participation  of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process for the settlement of  the conflict, Spokesman of the President of Artsakh David Babayan  stated in a conversation with the correspondent of ArmInfo.

"This is one of the key aspects for achieving an early settlement of  the conflict. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is not a full participant  in the negotiations on the whims and destructive position of  Azerbaijan.  We adhere to the fact that we must be involved in all  stages of negotiations from consideration of some proposals to the  conclusion of specific agreements ", Babayan stressed.

At the same time, he stressed that the current status of  Nagorno-Karabakh can not be a subject for negotiations. "There can be  no question of any vertical interaction with Azerbaijan, since  Artsakh has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan, and there  can be no question of returning to the past, including on the issue  of borders." Our position on this issue is tough, Azerbaijan and the  OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are well aware of it, "he said.

Asked to clarify whether this means that Stepanakert does not intend  to make concessions on "transferring 7 districts," Babayan in  particular said: "When we talk about borders, we always somehow have  to make excuses of Azerbaijan on the issues of return of certain  territories, speak about readiness for concessions.  But I want to  emphasize that today there is no question of territories, there is  only a question of borders - and this is a broader concept. The  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was formed thanks to the merger of Northern  Artsakh and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. It is our  historical territory. Maybe Armenia, based on a number of  geopolitical factors can not voice it, but we can. We have a legal,  moral and psychological right to do that. "At the same time, he  stressed that Artsakh has also the right to raise the issue of  returning the territories of Nakhichevan.  Touching upon the  statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at the  parliament that he has documents in which not a word is said about  the status of Artsakh, but only passing of territories is mentioned,  Babayan advised to address the relevant competent Armenian structures  on this issue . When asked if Stepanakert was familiar with such a  document, he said that no. "We can only talk about Stepanakert's  official position, I can only say that we have not received such  documents, because Stepanakert is not a full participant in the  negotiations and does not have access to documentation." We can only  rely on what the co-chairs, Armenia and Azerbaijan tell us, " he  summed up.

To note Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on September 12 that the  latest document presented at the negotiating table on the Karabakh  settlement, which he inherited from the previous authorities, did not  touch upon the status of Artsakh at all, it only mentioned the return  to Azerbaijan of the territories controlled by the Armenian side. "I  make this statement officially as the Prime Minister of Armenia,"  Pashinyan said, adding that initially there was not a single document  in the negotiations on the Karabakh settlement where it would be  clearly stated about the status of Artsakh or whether it would be  guaranteed in the future. "By 2018, the issue of NKR status at the  negotiating table was generally put on the back burner," he stressed.