Artsakh Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs: Attempts to resolve the  Karabakh Conflict via territorial concessions have no prospects

ArmInfo. Attempt to resolve Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through territorial concessions has no prospects, because it does not reflect the real essence of the  conflict. Similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by the Minister of  Foreign Affairs of the Artsakh Republic Masis Mayilyan.

"The conflict between us and Azerbaijan is not a territorial dispute.  This is evidenced by the fact that the territories around the former  Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region were under the control of Baku in  1988. Thus, expecting the settlement of the conflict through  unilateral territorial concessions from Artsakh is at least  illogical. This is our principled position , repeatedly voiced by the  leadership of Artsakh. We consider returning to the past unacceptable  and therefore impossible. Moreover, both in the matter of status and  in the matter of any territories ", the diplomat. stressed

Since 1992, the OSCE Minsk Group, represented by the co-chairs from  Russia, the United States and France, has been involved in resolving  the Karabakh conflict. At present, the settlement process is  proceeding on the basis of the Madrid Principles put forward by the  OSCE Minsk Group in 2007 and the Madrid Principles updated in 2009,  among other things providing for territorial concessions from Artsakh  and the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in the conflict zone.  The matter concerns at least six districts of the republic.

Mayilyan assesses the surrender of territories as a direct threat to  the security of the Artsakh people, a prerequisite for the  destruction of the security system of both Artsakh and Armenia.  Considering that this will threaten the existence of the population  in their historic homeland, this question has existential  significance for the Artsakh people.

"We should treat the statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham  Aliyev, from which it follows that the strategic goal of the country  is to seize Artsakh, the Syunik region of Armenia and even its  capital Yerevan, quite seriously. Accordingly, military and  political-diplomatic measures to restrain the aggressive and  expansionist intentions of the Baku leadership is still a necessity,  and the surrender of territories to a neighbor with a similar  attitude doesn't fit into these measures at all, "the Artsakh Foreign  Minister summed up.