Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian answers to the questions of “Interfax” agency.
Interfax: Mr. Minister, what can you say about Sergey Lavrov’s proposals on a phased settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which the foreign ministers of Russia mentioned during the meeting with reporters yesterday in Vienna?
Edward Nalbandian: My Russian counterpart, personally explained repeatedly that there is no document on Lavrov’s proposals. He repeatedly stressed that the exchange of views takes place on the level of thought, at the level of formulation of ideas, at the level of search for solutions.
In recent years, at all stages of the negotiation process, including the stages of exchange of opinions, there is no doubt that the approach has always been the same, and we have said about this repeatedly, and the co-chairs, including Lavrov talking about it as well saying – the settlement must be packaged, with a phased implementation.
In recent years we have worked intensively on the compromise formulations, and even repeatedly came close to solutions, but also repeatedly Azerbaijani side took a step back.
Implementation of the agreements reached at the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna, which was mentioned in the joint statement of the Russian Foreign Minister, US Secretary of State and Secretary of State for European Affairs of France, on the a commitment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, on the observance of the ceasefire agreements of 1994-1995., on speedy establishment of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations, having the objective for more effective monitoring in the conflict zone empower of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman. Implementation of these agreements will create the necessary conditions for the resumption of the negotiating process, harmonization of the problem of settlement options to continue the search for compromise solutions.
Interfax: To what extend we can expect that these Viennese arrangements will be implemented?
Edward Nalbandian: The co-chairs have repeatedly stated the importance of the commitment to exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, including at the level of the presidents of these countries in the famous five statements taken by them on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. Armenia not only in words but also in deeds confirmed its commitment to a peaceful settlement.
Co-Chairs of the country repeatedly called on all parties to the conflict to respect the tripartite implicitly indefinite ceasefire agreement of 1994-1995. Azerbaijan consistently ignored these calls, and unleashed in recent months, I would say, “guerrilla war” against these instruments of international organizations, trying to cast doubt on their action. The Co-Chairs immediately came up with an appropriate response to this in the OSCE and the UN.
The need to create a mechanism for the investigation of the incident has repeatedly been stressed, including in the two statements of presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, adopted in Sochi in 2011 and in 2012, and also most recently in the joint statement of the co-chairs countries at the summit of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in December last year in Bern. Azerbaijan has been hindering until now.
The fact that the ministers of the co-chairs countries for the first time attended the summit of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, shows the critical importance that the co-chairs countries attach to prevention of new escalation, the implementation of the agreements reached to create conditions for the resumption of the negotiating process.
Let us hope that this time Azerbaijan will not disappoint the hopes of the co-chairing countries, the expectations of the international community.
