Armenian Foreign Minister denies statements by Russian counterpart on  Karabakh settlement

ArmInfo.During these two years, our government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, was as transparent as possible, and our positions and approaches were very  clear. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said this on  April 21 during a press conference in Yerevan, referring to the  resonant statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that  today a document on a phased resolution of the conflict is at the  negotiating table on Karabakh. 

"Yes, in this statement there were references to a lot of documents,  starting from Key West to the latest one. He also touched upon the  documents that are being discussed today. Let's be frank, such  approaches existed back in 2014 and in 2015, and they were not  acceptable for the Armenian parties.  After 2018, discussions were  limited to considering the approaches and assessments of the parties  around concrete elements. The proposal dated back 2014 is not a  document on the negotiating table. We more than clearly spoke about  our positions, which indicate an element of safety as the priority  for Armenian parties ", Mnatsakanyan said.  As for the territories,  the minister continued, among other things, this is a security zone  and defensive lines, not a single Armenian side can even assume that  they can be revised, jeopardizing the security of the people of  Artsakh. 

"No one can even suggest that one of the Armenian parties may make  concessions that could endanger 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 is not presented a different picture  of the negotiations, and nothing is being hidden from it, since this  is simply impossible." Thirdly, according to the head of the Armenian  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenia is fully involved in the  negotiation process in its part and will continue to promote it  fully, however, the Armenian authorities do not have a mandate from  the people of Artsakh. He recalled that days earlier in  Nagorno-Karabakh, elections were over, the new authorities received  an appropriate mandate in the course of free, competitive and  democratic electoral processes. Mnatsakanyan also recalled that the  Armenian authorities over the course of these two years worked  closely and consulted with the Artsakh authorities on this issue, and  the interaction continues with the newly elected authorities.   Mnatsakanyan assured that no decision on Artsakh can be made without  the consent of people living in Nagorno- Karabakh. According to him,  these are the clear principles by which the Armenian authorities are  guided in the negotiation process.

In conclusion, he once again emphasized that in the negotiation  process there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement, since  Armenia is committed to protecting the population of the two  countries.  He once again recalled the upcoming talks with his  Azerbaijani counterpart today through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairs, pointing out the importance of reducing the risks of  escalation in the region in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.   To note, today Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov touching upon  Karabakh issue recalled that the resolutions that were adopted are  well-known documents. They were adopted in the midst of hostilities  and suggested, first of all, the complete cessation of hostilities  and the transition to negotiations.  These documents confirmed the  territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. But, they also  called for stopping war and start negotiations. Since then, they have  begun negotiations, more than once. There were agreements for  negotiations in Key West from 2001, there were subsequent agreements  in various formats, reached with the participation of Karabakh, or  without it. The format of the Baku-Yerevan negotiations, the three  co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of  the OSCE Chairman-in- Office has already been established, "Lavrov  emphasized, adding that this is a useful and good format that  embodied the UN Security Council's demand to end the war and begin to   agree.

He once again reminded that there are Madrid agreements, there are  documents prepared by the Russian side in 2010-11, the so-called  Kazan Principles, and there are projects that were distributed a year  ago, in April last year, in Moscow at the meeting of the Foreign  Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia with the participation of  the co- chairs, which are now being actively discussed.  "These  documents presuppose progress towards a settlement on the basis of a  phased approach, assuming 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. Now its time to reach  agreement and we as OSCE MG co-chairs aim to this, "the Russian  minister summed up.