ARMENPRESS. The United Kingdom doesn’t view the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as resolved and wants to see a comprehensive peace settlement reached as soon as possible, on the basis of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ Basic Principles, the UK Ambassador to Armenia H.E. John Gallagher said in an interview with ARMENPRESS conducted on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom.
Aram Sargsyan – Regarding the regional developments around Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh in the post-war period: how do you see the comprehensive and long-term settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict? In other words, what is the UK’s official stance on this? In this context, how would you comment on the statements of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev who claims that there “is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict anymore because they have resolved the conflict”. Do you agree with the mentioned point that there is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict anymore after the 44-day war in 2020?
Ambassador Gallagher – The UK position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not changed. We do not view the conflict as resolved. The UK wants to see a comprehensive peace settlement on Nagorno-Karabakh reached as soon as possible, on the basis of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ Basic Principles. We fully support the efforts of the American, French and Russian Co-Chairs and encourage the sides to engage constructively in the negotiation process.
We strongly encourage further progress on humanitarian issues such as the return of all prisoners of war and detainees, demining, and investigations into all allegations of human rights violations. It is vital for the region’s future stability and prosperity that ongoing issues are resolved through a negotiated, peaceful process.
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Aram Sargsyan – How do you assess the negotiation process by the Russian mediation towards unblocking the transport and economic connections, delimitation and demarcation of state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
Ambassador Gallagher – We do not have any direct oversight of the trilateral working group processes, but we would view progress on delimitation, demarcation and restoring transport and economic connections as a positive step. The UK fully supports the development of peaceful relations in the region.
Aram Sargsyan – What is your comment on the new round of Armenian-Turkish dialogue towards normalization, the first meeting of which was held in Moscow on 14 January 2022. What kind of role could the UK play in this process as an important actor in international relations?
Ambassador Gallagher – Similar to the previous question, the UK is not part of the negotiations process, but we would view positively any progress towards Armenia-Turkey normalisation. From what has been reported, both sides already appear to be taking positive steps towards re-engagement. I believe that actions that enable more contact and cooperation between the people of both countries are a good thing and that open borders offer greater opportunities for both countries to realise their potential.
Interview by Aram Sargsyan
