YEREVAN. - The Karabakh conflict should have a package settlement, with step-by-step implementation, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Interfax, responding to the question as to the proposal of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov on the step-by-step settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“My Russian counterpart has personally and repeatedly clarified that there is no document on Lavrov’s proposals. He has repeatedly stressed that the exchange of opinions is taking place at the level of reflections, formulation of ideas and search for resolutions.

In the recent years, the approach has definitely always been and remains the same at all the stages of the negotiation process, including at the stages of exchange of opinions. We and the [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chairs, including Lavrov, have repeatedly spoken about this – there should be a package settlement, with step-by-step implementation,” Nalbandian said.   

In his words, the recent years saw an intensive work on compromise wordings, and they have repeatedly been close to solutions, but the Azerbaijani side also repeatedly made a step back.  

“The implementation of agreements reached at the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Vienna and mentioned by the joint statement of the Russian FM U.S. Secretary of State and French Minister of State for European Affairs – i.e. on the commitment to peaceful conflict settlement, observation of 1994-1995 ceasefire agreement, prompt creation of mechanisms for conducting investigation of ceasefire violations for more efficient monitoring in the conflict zone, and expansion of the capabilities of the personal staff of the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office - will create necessary conditions for resumption of the negotiation process, agreement on the parameters of problem settlement and continuation of search for compromise settlements,” he said.