ArmInfo. The issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is rather delicate, and making it a topic of public debate is counterproductive. The Russian Foreign Ministry comments. APA reports that the agency's requested to comment on the statements of the Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who, referring to Sergey Lavrov's statement on documents envisaging progress in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of a phased approach, stated that the settlement of Karabakh issue envisaging territorial concessions to Azerbaijan is unacceptable for Armenia. The Russian Foreign Ministry was also asked to assess whether this statement affects the negotiation process. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the position of Russia as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group has repeatedly been voiced in the joint statements of the highest leadership of Russia, USA and France.
"It is based on the fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including the principles of the non-use of force, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination. Among the elements of the settlement contained in these statements are the return of the territories located around Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through the will of the population. As for documents and proposals that have been examined and are being considered, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov listed them, "the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized. The Russian Foreign Ministry's commentary also notes that the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is rather delicate and it's counterproductive to transfer it into the field of public debate: "We presume that settlement issues should be considered during negotiations within the framework of the established format.
Consultations on this topic are ongoing, about which, in particular, is evidenced by the videoconference of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan held on April 21 this year with the participation of the co-chairs. " 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.