ArmInfo.We have never been against the dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh David Babayan stated this on October 14 in an interview with journalists.
In this vein, he recalled that when Artsakh was excluded from the negotiation process in 1996-97, Stepanakert always called for and advocated the restoration of a full-fledged format.
"The restoration of a full-fledged format of negotiations is also on our agenda now. These negotiations, however, should not take place outside an internationally recognized platform. That is, there is one internationally recognized platform - the OSCE Minsk Group," he said.
In this vein, the Foreign Minister of Artsakh drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan says that it will not negotiate with Artsakh as a party. "And we say: let the format be restored, let's negotiate. But if someone thinks that the negotiations should be conducted with the attitude of turning Artsakh into an aboriginal tribe, which will bow before the feet of the metropolis, it will not happen, " Babayan said, adding that they talk about this at all meetings and this is the collective opinion of the Artsakh people.
Asked to comment on the French president's accusations against Russia and Moscow's harsh reaction to this, Babayan urged Armenians to be wise.
"I consider the anti-Russian or anti-American position of any Armenian to be unacceptable. Why? Since we are first of all People with big Diaspora," he said, recalling that millions of Armenians live both in Russia and in the West.
"Russia is a brotherly country for us, the West is not an enemy for us either, because we have a Diaspora. We see no alternative to Russian peacekeepers, but this does not mean that we are against the West. I consider such accusations unhealthy, including the ones from the part of France to Russia. Of course, this is none of our business. However, it would be better if the same democratic West clearly stated that it does not see democratic Artsakh as part of totalitarian Azerbaijan, because if Artsakh suffers, this stigma will be on them too," summed up Babayan. Earlier, speaking to France 2 television on Wednesday Macron said Moscow had stoked tensions in recent months in favor of Azerbaijan. "What's been happening on the border the last two years ... 5,000 Russian soldiers are allegedly there to guarantee the border, (but) the Russians have used this conflict which dated back several centuries and played Azerbaijan's game with Turkish complicity and came back to weaken Armenia which was once a country it was close to," Macron said. "You see what's happening? It's an effort by Russia to destabilise. It wants to create disorder in the Caucasus to destabilise all of us."
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron on Nagorno-Karabakh incorrect and unacceptable. "In any case, Russia has always sincerely sought to resolve any conflicts, including issues related to Karabakh and around it," Putin stressed.