ArmInfo. The wording of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Nagorno-Karabakh in Yerevan was crystal clear. This was announced on November 14 during a weekly briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, answering a question regarding the statement of Lavrov that final settlement of the conflict cannot be achieved without the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, and who falls under this wording.
At the same time, Zakharova added, since the question is very delicate and with various nuances, she will once again clarify the wording. On the whole, referring to the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Yerevan, she noted that the visit was quite open and transparent. "Of course, there was a traditionally closed part of the negotiations. But, on the whole, all the points of the visit's program were open and transparent, I think nothing should have escaped your view," she said, adding that it was a great idea to hold an exhibition, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the performance of two ministers at the opening of the exhibition. According to her, Lavrov also held a meeting with students, and this format has a great prospect, since we are talking about live communication. "The visit began with the Victory exhibition and ended victoriously," Zakharova concluded. On November 11 in Yerevan, Lavrov noted that the final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be acceptable to Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Touching upon the return of Artsakh to the negotiating table to resolve the conflict, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that the parties themselves agree on the format as well as the composition.
In this context, he recalled that at the initial stage, Nagorno-Karabakh participated in the negotiations, but at some point one of the previous Armenian presidents decided that Yerevan would represent the interests of Karabakh. "In any case, we, as members of a group of co-chairs, promoting this process, ensure that it goes within a general agreement. And it is clear to everyone that without the consent of the people, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, it will be impossible to finalize agreements. Armenia simply will not sign them. Here we proceed from this, "Lavrov emphasized. At the same time, he noted that at the meeting, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan mentioned his public statement that the final agreements should take into account the interests of Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan. "It's hard to argue with that," said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Speaking about the principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement, Lavrov once again emphasized the need to take into account the interests of Armenia, Nagorno- Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
According to him, the principles of territorial integrity, the right of peoples to self-determination and peaceful settlement are enshrined in all the options that are being discussed between the parties. "The final decision must take into account all principles. No one can argue with this. The rest is a matter of negotiation. The art of diplomacy is a compromise. We, as co-chairs, try to ensure that the compromises are honest and reflect a real balance of interests," Lavrov concluded.