ArmInfo.OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Igor Popov commented on RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's article on the 44-day war in Artsakh. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In his article, Nikol Pashinyan, in particular, noted that Russia's proposals on the settlement of the conflict did not affect the status of Artsakh, and in fact it was only supposed to surrender seven regions to Azerbaijan.
In response to Pashinyan's article, Popov replied: "The Russian proposals probably mean a phased settlement plan, the latest version of which was submitted to the parties in June 2019 by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. This plan, which largely coincides with the Kazan document, is based on the basic principles of the Nagorno-Karabakh regulation, including the return of five regions to Azerbaijan at the first stage, and two regions at the second stage, and, I will emphasize this especially, in conjunction with the determination of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Among other elements of the first stage that reflect Yerevan's interests are the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh's rights that ensure the organization of full- fledged life of its population, the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh representatives in OSCE meetings, lifting the blockade, opening borders, accepting commitments by the parties not to use force, and more.
Therefore, to assert that Russia offered to return the seven regions "for nothing", to forget about the status and be quiet, is not true.
As for the options for resolving the problem of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the proposals on the negotiating table in recent years envisaged as the final goal, I quote: . By the way, it was also proposed to consider the width and status of the Lachin corridor only at the second stage, taking into account the return of the Kelbajar and Lachin regions to Azerbaijan.
Neither the Armenian nor the Azeri sides rejected these proposals, although it was not possible to reach full agreement, but the main thing is that the negotiations were conducted on a regular basis, until 2018, when Yerevan put forward new approaches>.