Azerbaijan has expressed readiness to start negotiations with the Armenian side on a peace agreement, if Armenia agrees to the following 5 preconditions:
– Recognition of mutual sovereignty and territorial integrity by the two countries;
– Affirmation that the parties have no territorial claims against each other, and a legal statement that they will not have such claims in the future;
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– The parties must not pose a threat to each other’s security;
– Delimitation and demarcation, establishment of diplomatic relations;
– Unblocking, implementation of joint programs.
I do not want to comment for a long time on those preconditions, which, as far as I understand, are in principle acceptable for official Yerevan today. Otherwise, why should Armenia apply to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for negotiations? In the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the preconditions, at least, there is no mention that the preconditions of Baku are unacceptable. I also do not want to discuss what “recognition of territorial integrity” means, how it will affect our compatriots living in Artsakh and Russian peacekeepers, and how “delimitation and demarcation” will take place when Azerbaijani units are in our sovereign territory. I suggest just comparing these 5 demands with the “6 Munich Principles” published by Prime Minister Pashinyan on February 16, 2020 (7 months before the war).
“1. Nagorno-Karabakh gained independence just like Azerbaijan; 2. Nagorno-Karabakh is a party to the conflict and negotiation, without which it is impossible to resolve the conflict; 3.There are no areas, there is security. Nagorno-Karabakh can not give up its security; 4. It is not possible to resolve the conflict in one or two actions. In the negotiation process, ‘micro-revolutions’ are needed, then ‘mini-revolutions,’ then breakthroughs; 5. Any solution to the issue must be acceptable to the people of Armenia, the people of Karabakh, the people of Azerbaijan, and Armenia and Karabakh are ready to make serious efforts to find such a solution. Azerbaijan must also show such readiness; 6. There is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. If someone says that the issue has a military solution, the people of Karabakh will say that it has been resolved long ago.”
Note that in these principles, there is no word that a “diplomatic catastrophe” took place in 2016, everything “has already been handed over,” and that the Armenian army has been completely plundered to the point where it cannot resist Azerbaijan. Either the prime minister did not know about it, or he did not want to talk about it. Or maybe there was no such thing.
Aram Abrahamyan
