There is need to restore the negotiation format on Karabakh set forth by the OSCE Council of Ministers that was further confirmed by the in 1994 Budapest Summit, Speaker of the Nagorno-Karabakh Parliament Ashot Ghulyan said during the  Congressional Tribute to 22 Years of Artsakh Independence.

“That is to say, that Nagorno-Karabakh should return to the negotiation table as a party to the conflict, which is being prevented by Azerbaijan. The delicacy of the situation lies in the fact that the subject matter of the negotiations does not concern the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but the future legal and political arrangements between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

He recalled that the Minsk Group, and above all, the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the Republic of France, as cochairs,have pointed out on numerous occasions that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

“And while this is fully acceptable to us, the same cannot be said about Azerbaijan, whose leadership periodically, and recently more frequently, voices threats of settling the conflict by force.”

“May, 2014, marks the 20th anniversary of the cease-fire agreement. For two decades, peace in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone has been preserved exclusively due to the balance of forces. I think this is the best evidence of the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has an important role in maintaining peace in the South Caucasus. Therefore, all those who are interested in maintaining peace and stability in the South Caucasus cannot ignore this reality.

We welcome the fact that the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries demonstrate a consensus position on the Karabakh issue and coordinate their actions. At the same time, we expect understanding and active mediation efforts aimed at ceasing the destructive policy of Azerbaijan,” he added.