ArmInfo.The issue of the return of the territories around Nagorno-Karabakh is on the agenda of the Madrid principles on the negotiating table. On October 18 Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Armenia Petr Mikiska stated this at a press conference in Yerevan, referring to the last statement of the US Ambassador Richard Mills.
He expressed bewilderment over the fact why this statement caused such a concern in Armenian society. "The issue of the return of the territories is among the provisions of the Madrid principles that are on the agenda of the talks today. I believe that the issue of resolving the conflict should follow these principles, which involve step-by-step implementation of all items. To be honest, I am not familiar with the statement of Mills, and I can not comment on it. But, the question of the return of the territories, as far as I know, was on the agenda of the talks", the diplomat noted.
He also stated that Mills is the ambassador of the country, which is one of the mediators in resolving the conflict. "The United States, along with France and Russia as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, is more involved than other countries in the conflict resolution process. However, other countries also follow the situation. I consider it important that the OSCE MG is involved in the conflict resolution process," he concluded.
To recall, US Ambassador Richard Mills who is terminating his diplomatic mission in Armenia, in an interview with EVN, speaking of the Karabakh settlement, made remarkable statements. In particular, referring to ways to resolve the conflict, he emphasized the need to return the "occupied territories": "The settlement of the conflict is impossible without the return of a certain part of the occupied territories. The issue of the return of the occupied territories is one of the fundamental points of the Madrid principles. When I arrived in Armenia, found that most Armenians are categorically against the return of the occupied territories. It seems to me that we are taking a step back. My government for many years considered that these territories were originally taken, to later be used as part of the formula of "land - for peace," and I was very surprised when I discovered that this formula does not find public support in Armenia ", the diplomat said.
He also stressed that the April war of 2016 consolidated this position of the Armenians even more. "Now it will be much more difficult to resolve this issue, but the harsh reality is that any settlement requires the return of a certain part of the occupied territories," the diplomat said. At the same time, he stressed that the status quo no longer proceeds from the interests of Armenia, since in the context of closed borders and limited human and material resources, corruption risks increase. "Corruption is not born and thrives, because people are bad, but because there are appropriate conditions for this," the diplomat said.
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