ArmInfo. Over the past year, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs did not talk about elements and principles that are better known as the Madrid Principles. This was stated by Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan in an interview with journalists following a meeting with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak.At the same time, he stated that a reminder of them by the co-chairs in the last statement was surprising.
"Their statements were a bit strange, but they thus tried to convey their point of view, to say that these proposals remain on the negotiation agenda. We believe that the time has come to abandon these principles and make more realistic proposals. We can also expect some progress on the issue of restoring the format of the negotiations. But, if the outdated principles remain, and Artsakh will not participate in the negotiations, we will not be able to record any progress in this negotiation process, "said l Mailyan, adding that the proposals and principles that are on the negotiating table for the past 27 years are outdated and need to be revised.He also agreed with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that 3 principles and six elements on the negotiation agenda need clarification. "We also say that they need revision. If we talk about the principle of the territories, I would like to emphasize once again that our conflict with Azerbaijan is not a territorial dispute, as official Baku is trying to present, therefore, we'll start these negotiations unilateral concessions are unacceptable and distort the essence of the conflict, "the NKR Foreign Minister said.
Since there are international mediators who have made these proposals, Mailyan continued, they should take a more realistic approach, and the Artsakh side, if necessary, can provide expert assistance in finding a more realistic approach.Touching upon the participation in the negotiations, the Karabakh community of Azerbaijan, the Artsakh Foreign Minister expressed conviction that the so-called Azerbaijani community of the NKR are citizens of Azerbaijan and live on its territory, participate in the Azerbaijani elections and are already represented there. "That is, they authorized their president to represent their interests in the negotiations, and the only party not represented in them is Artsakh. I believe that in this way Azerbaijan is trying to equate NGOs and an established state, which is absurd and short-sighted," said Mailyan.
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