Zakharova: Yerevan disregarded ethical standards by disclosing OSCE  Minsk Group Co-Chairs` working documents

ArmInfo.Yerevan has disregarded ethical standards by disclosing the working materials of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and especially the correspondence of the heads of state, without proper coordination with the parties involved, as stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria  Zakharova during a weekly briefing on December 4. She was asked to comment on the nearly complete package of documents on the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement negotiation process released by the Armenian government.

Zakharova acknowledged that since the Armenian authorities have done  it, Moscow has the right to comment. "It seems to me that all the  published documents somewhat undermine the arguments that official  Yerevan is trying to promote. The published UN and OSCE documents, in  the development and adoption of which Russia played an active role,  convincingly confirm that for three decades, our country, both in its  national capacity and as a co-chair of the Minsk Group, has made  consistent efforts to achieve a political and diplomatic settlement  of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and much has been accomplished,"  she said.

According to her, the Russian position has always been based on  finding a reasonable balance between the following two components:  respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and ensuring the  rights and interests of the indigenous Karabakh population in  accordance with generally recognized international principles and  standards. Zakharova added that, as the journalist quoted, Moscow has  never conducted negotiations regarding the recognition of Artsakh's  independence or its annexation to Armenia. The diplomat also touched  on the statements made by Russian OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Igor  Popov in the media in 2021, recalling that the Russian mediator, with  facts in hand, refuted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's  assertion in his article "The Origins of the 44-Day War" that  Russia's settlement proposals amounted to the return of seven  districts to Azerbaijan "just like that," without addressing the  status of Karabakh.

"In reality, everything was somewhat different, if not the opposite.  This can be easily verified by carefully reading the draft  declaration on the first phasee and further steps of the  Nagorno-Karabakh settlement published on the Armenian government's  website, as well as the draft statement by Russia, the United States,  and France in support of the aforementioned declaration and the  corresponding draft UN Security Council resolution," she noted.

According to her, these documents were discussed during  Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations even before the change of power in  Yerevan in May 2018. "Neither side rejected them, although full  agreement was not reached," she continued. According to Zakharova,  negotiations were held regularly until 2018-2019, when the Pashinyan  administration effectively interrupted substantive dialogue. She  recalled that Yerevan then began to talk about international  recognition of Artsakh's independence as Armenia's priority:  Pashinyan made statements to that effect in March and August 2019 in  Stepanakert, including the famous "Artsakh is Armenia, that's it."  She recalled that this was followed by the 44-day war of 2020, which  was stopped thanks to the efforts of the Russian Federation.

"Recently, it's not the Russian Federation's position that has  changed, but Armenia's, or rather its leadership's position, and it  has changed radically," Zakharova said, pointing out the Prague  agreements of October 6, 2022, when Pashinyan recognized  Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, without regard for the  interests of the people living in those territories. "Yes, these  documents show that there were opportunities for settlement, and they  were missed. But that's not our fault," she concluded.