Interfax: Mr. Minister, how would you comment on Sergey Lavrov’s proposals on phase-by-phase settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, mentioned by the Foreign Minister of Russia yesterday in Vienna during the meeting with journalists?
Edward Nalbandian: My Russian colleague has personally explained on numerous occasions that there is no such thing as “Lavrov document or proposals.” He has repeatedly outlined that the exchange of thoughts takes place on the level of opinions, on the level of formation of ideas, on the level of searching for solutions.
There is no doubt that during the recent years, in all phases of the negotiation process, including during exchange of thoughts, the approach has always been the same, and we have spoken about that on numerous occasions, the Co-Chairs, including Lavrov, have also spoken about that – the settlement should be a packaged one with phase-by-phase implementation.
During the recent years we have intensively worked on a compromised wording, and more than once were even close to the settlement, however the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stepped back as well.
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The implementation of agreements reached during the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are also mentioned in the joint statement of the Foreign Minister of Russia, US Secretary of State and Minister of State for European Affairs of France, – the commitment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, maintenance of ceasefire agreements of 1994-1995, the creation in the shortest possible time of the mechanism for investigation of ceasefire violations, the expansion of the capabilities of team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office for a more effective implementation of monitoring, – the implementation of all these agreements will create necessary conditions for the resumption of negotiations, coordination of parameters of the settlement of the problem, continuation of the search for compromised solutions.
Interfax: What are the expectations that the Vienna agreements will be implemented?
Edward Nalbandian: The Co-Chairs, including on the level of the Presidents of those countries in their well-known five statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, have repeatedly stated the importance to reiterate the commitment to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Armenia has confirmed its commitment to the peaceful settlement not only in words, but also in deeds.
On numerous occasions the Co-Chairs called on all the parties of the conflict to unequivocally maintain the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements which have no time limitations. Azerbaijan has constantly ignored those calls, furthermore, during the last months launched, I would say, a “guerrilla war” against those documents within international organizations, undertaking efforts of casting doubt on their validity. The Co-Chairs immediately made an appropriate response to those actions both in the OSCE and the UN.
The necessity to create a mechanism for the investigation of ceasefire violations has been repeatedly outlined, including in the 2011 and 2012 Sochi statements of the Presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and most recently, in the joint statement of the Co-Chair countries issued last year in Bern on the results of the summit of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Up until now Azerbaijan has been hindering its implementation.
The fact that for the first time ever the Foreign Ministers of the Co-Chair countries participated in the summit of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasizes the special importance that the Co-Chairs attach to the prevention of a new escalation, the implementation of reached agreements aimed at the creation of conditions for the resumption of the negotiation process.
We hope that this time Azerbaijan will not let down the hopes of the Co-Chairs, the expectations of the international community.