Any option for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which does not envision the exercise of Artsakh’s right to self-determination without any restriction and can endanger the security of the people of Artsakh, is not acceptable to the Armenian sides, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said Thursday in response to a reporter’s question.
The discussion of a “phased,” or “stage-by-stage” approach to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict, which envisions concessions of territories as a starting point, was renewed this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a “phased” approached was being negotiated through the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, on of which is Russia, ahead of scheduled talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday.
Naghdalyan was direct in responding to a question posed by a reporter from the Russian Kommersant newspaper, when she said that a “phased” approach is unacceptable to Armenia.
“The proposals made even before 2018 and supposing a stage-by-stage option for the peaceful settlement are not acceptable for Armenia. Moreover, since 2018 Armenia has not been holding negotiations which will be based on the stage-by-stage settlement,” said Naghdalyan.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Lavrov claimed that such a proposal was made during a meeting with Mnatsakanyan and Mammadyarov in April 2019.
“The results of the April 15, 2019 meeting were summed up in the joint statement by the Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, as well as the OCSE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who are outlining the framework of negotiations, which did include any reference or even a hint of the stage-by-stage option of the settlement,” said Naghdalyan.
“Armenia has a clear vision on the balanced approaches, based on mutual concessions and equitable commitments, which will make the fair and lasting settlement of the Karabakh conflict possible,” added Naghdalyan.