ArmInfo.During these two years, our government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, was as transparent as possible, and our positions and approaches were very clear. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said this on April 21 during a press conference in Yerevan, referring to the resonant statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that today a document on a phased resolution of the conflict is at the negotiating table on Karabakh.
"Yes, in this statement there were references to a lot of documents, starting from Key West to the latest one. He also touched upon the documents that are being discussed today. Let's be frank, such approaches existed back in 2014 and in 2015, and they were not acceptable for the Armenian parties. After 2018, discussions were limited to considering the approaches and assessments of the parties around concrete elements. The proposal dated back 2014 is not a document on the negotiating table. We more than clearly spoke about our positions, which indicate an element of safety as the priority for Armenian parties ", Mnatsakanyan said. As for the territories, the minister continued, among other things, this is a security zone and defensive lines, not a single Armenian side can even assume that they can be revised, jeopardizing the security of the people of Artsakh.
"No one can even suggest that one of the Armenian parties may make concessions that could endanger security of the population of Artsakh. The second important element underlying the basic principles of settlement is the principle of self-determination, which is priority for the Armenian side in these negotiations. We have repeatedly emphasized status and security as a priority. Now I am more openly saying that the manifestation of self- determination means a concretization of status. The right to freedom of expression without restrictions, a peaceful settlement is possible on the basis of mutual concessions, "said the Armenian Foreign Minister. He once again emphasized that the Armenian side will never make concessions that create threats to the security of the people of Artsakh, and even more so in those conditions when this threat continues to be real and existential today. "And for the Armenian side, the expression of the right to self-determination in this negotiation process is more than priority. Mutual concessions should be proportionate. We see in them a full reflection of the elements of security and status. This is the invariable approach of the Armenian side, which we always talk about during negotiations," Mnatsakanyan assured, adding that the public is not presented a different picture of the negotiations, and nothing is being hidden from it, since this is simply impossible." Thirdly, according to the head of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenia is fully involved in the negotiation process in its part and will continue to promote it fully, however, the Armenian authorities do not have a mandate from the people of Artsakh. He recalled that days earlier in Nagorno-Karabakh, elections were over, the new authorities received an appropriate mandate in the course of free, competitive and democratic electoral processes. Mnatsakanyan also recalled that the Armenian authorities over the course of these two years worked closely and consulted with the Artsakh authorities on this issue, and the interaction continues with the newly elected authorities. Mnatsakanyan assured that no decision on Artsakh can be made without the consent of people living in Nagorno- Karabakh. According to him, these are the clear principles by which the Armenian authorities are guided in the negotiation process.
In conclusion, he once again emphasized that in the negotiation process there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement, since Armenia is committed to protecting the population of the two countries. He once again recalled the upcoming talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart today through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, pointing out the importance of reducing the risks of escalation in the region in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. To note, today Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov touching upon Karabakh issue recalled that the resolutions that were adopted are well-known documents. They were adopted in the midst of hostilities and suggested, first of all, the complete cessation of hostilities and the transition to negotiations. These documents confirmed the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. But, they also called for stopping war and start negotiations. Since then, they have begun negotiations, more than once. There were agreements for negotiations in Key West from 2001, there were subsequent agreements in various formats, reached with the participation of Karabakh, or without it. The format of the Baku-Yerevan negotiations, the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in- Office has already been established, "Lavrov emphasized, adding that this is a useful and good format that embodied the UN Security Council's demand to end the war and begin to agree.
He once again reminded that there are Madrid agreements, there are documents prepared by the Russian side in 2010-11, the so-called Kazan Principles, and there are projects that were distributed a year ago, in April last year, in Moscow at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia with the participation of the co- chairs, which are now being actively discussed. "These documents presuppose progress towards a settlement on the basis of a phased approach, assuming at the first stage the solution of the most pressing problems, the liberation of a number of areas around Nagorno-Karabakh and the unblocking of transport, economic, and other communications. So, I'm convinced that when we come to a decision on the signing of these documents it will be the most important step in implementing UN Security Council resolutions that called for an end to the war and the start of an agreement. Now its time to reach agreement and we as OSCE MG co-chairs aim to this, "the Russian minister summed up.