Stepanakert to Lavrov: Territorial concessions are a direct path to  the destruction of the security system not only of Artsakh, but also  of Armenia

ArmInfo. Artsakh's Foreign Ministry issued a statement in connection with the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on ways to resolve the  Nagorno- Karabakh conflict.

Thus, in the statement of the NKR Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan, it  is noted that in connection with the statements recently voiced by  the Russian Foreign Minister regarding the peace process to resolve  the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and, in particular, about the  active discussion of the draft stage-by-stage settlement of the  conflict, he considers it necessary to emphasize the following:

"The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have repeatedly stated  that in the process of peaceful settlement of the  Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict they are guided by the two highest  values for the people of Artsakh - independence and security. For  Artsakh, any proposals that may threaten these values are  unacceptable.  The people of Artsakh exercised their inalienable  right to self-determination in an independence referendum in 1991 and  subsequently at least twice expressed their will in referenda on the  adoption of the Constitution in 2006 and 2017. Artsakh authorities  and society remain committed to the chosen path and will continue to  make consistent efforts to strengthen and develop their independent  and democratic state, which plays a stabilizing role in the region  with its responsible policy. Attempts to ignore the existing reality  only postpone the prospects for a final settlement of the  Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, which must certainly be based on the  recognition of the fact that the people of Artsakh exercise their  right to self- determination. "

He also considered it necessary to note the futility of the search  for possible solutions to the problem on the basis of territorial  concessions by the Artsakh side, since the Azerbaijani-Karabakh  conflict is not a territorial dispute. As for territorial  concessions, continued Mayilyan, this is a direct path to the  destruction of the security system not only of the Republic of  Artsakh, but also of the Republic of Armenia, and in this case the  very existence of the indigenous population in their historical  homeland will be jeopardized. The Foreign Minister also emphasized  that the recent elections in Artsakh have convincingly demonstrated  the consensus regarding the inadmissibility of territorial  concessions that has developed both in society and among the  political forces of the republic.

"The statement regarding the format of the negotiation process also  deserves special attention. The Russian Foreign Minister acknowledged  the direct participation of Artsakh in the negotiations in the past,  but at the same time called the bilateral format of the  Armenia-Azerbaijan meetings under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairs and with the participation of the Personal  Representative OSCE Chairperson-in- Office useful and good, however,  the usefulness of the format can be judged solely by the results  achieved.  In this regard, I would like to emphasize that it was in  trilateral, and not bilateral format that the only real result was  achieved in the process of peaceful settlement of the  Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict - an unlimited ceasefire agreement of  May 12, 1994. Thus, in four years of full-format trilateral  negotiations, much more was achieved than in the subsequent more than  20 years of bilateral meetings in Armenia- Azerbaijan format. The  trilateral format has proved its effectiveness in practice, and  therefore its restoration will be a serious contribution to the  process of peaceful settlement of Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, "the  Artsakh Foreign Minister said.

He recalled that last fall, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated that  the positions of the authorities of Artsakh and Armenia to resolve  the conflict were identical and this position was confirmed by the  authorities of Artsakh. According to him, this does not mean that  Armenia should represent the interests of Artsakh in the  negotiations.

"We are convinced that the interests of the people of Artsakh in the  negotiation process should be represented by officials of the  Republic of Artsakh with an appropriate mandate from the people. The  Republic of Armenia, for its part, will continue to protect the  interests of the Republic of Artsakh in the international arena and  at meetings under the OSCE Minsk Group.

It should be noted that the proposals voiced by the Russian Foreign  Minister are one of the many modifications of the so-called Madrid  principles. In this regard, we consider it necessary to recall that  immediately after the publication of the main elements of the Madrid  Principles, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of  Artsakh issued a statement on July 15, 2009, urging those interested  in a peaceful settlement to prevent a violation of the status quo in  the region caused by forcing the negotiation process on the basis of  the proposed settlement formula. It was noted that any attempts to  return Artsakh to the past are not only counterproductive, but also  fraught with a new escalation of the conflict. The statement  emphasized that the reboot of the distorted negotiation process, the  return of the Republic of Artsakh to the negotiating table as a full  party to the negotiation process and the transformation of the basic  principles of the settlement are required. This position of the  Artsakh authorities remains unchanged.

The April aggression of Azerbaijan in 2016 convincingly demonstrated  the validity of the claims of the Artsakh side about the danger of a  new escalation of the conflict in any attempt to change the current  status quo, which is one of the foundations of the security system  not only for the Artsakh Republic, but also for the region as a  whole.

As for the issues considered at this stage, the parties are not  discussing a specific settlement plan. This means that there are no  so-called Madrid or other offers on the table. Obviously, the most  urgent problems now are strengthening the ceasefire, introducing a  risk reduction mechanism on the Line of Contact of the armed forces,  and implementing confidence-building measures. Within the framework  of precisely these issues, discussions are held at the meetings of  the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as evidenced by the  statements of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Statements by  official Baku, which repeatedly complained about the absence of  substantive negotiations, also point to the fact that a concrete  settlement plan is not being discussed, "Mayilyan concluded.

On April 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, referring to the  Karabakh settlement, noted that there are various projects to resolve  the conflict. He added that projects that  were presented a year ago,  in April last year in Moscow at a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of  Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia with the participation of the  co-chairs, are being actively discussed. "These documents presuppose  progress towards a settlement on the basis of a phased approach,  suggesting 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 "- the Russian minister summed up.

This statement of Lavrov caused a wide public outcry in Armenia.  Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan also reacted to this  statement, who, referring to the issue of territorial concessions,  emphasized that, among other things, it is a security zone and  defense lines, not a single Armenian side can even assume that they  can be revised, jeopardizing security of the population of Artsakh.

"No one can even suggest that one of the Armenian parties may make  concessions that could compromise 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 does not have a different picture of  the negotiations, and nothing is hidden from it, since this is simply  impossible.