The recent press statement by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs sparks concerns. This is what leader of Bright Armenia Party and head of the Bright Armenia Party’s parliamentary faction Edmon Marukyan said during a conventional briefing held at the National Assembly on 11 March.

“In my opinion, the most disturbing statement in the Co-Chairs’ press statement is that future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh is possible through a legally binding expression of will. This, in essence, contradicts the fundamental approach of the Armenian party according to which citizens of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic became self-determined on 10 December 1991 and the referendum has legal force.

The Armenian party has insisted that the referendum is already a fact, and the requests for a similar referendum mean once again that the results of the already held referendum will be de facto overlooked,” Marukyan said.

Marukyan also stated that he supports the incumbent Armenian authorities’ policy to bring Nagorno-Karabakh back to the negotiating table as one of the parties to the conflict and emphasized that the Armenian government, represented by Premier Nikol Pashinyan, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, must continue to insist that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also participate in the negotiation process.

“I believe everyone clearly understands that nobody in Armenia is preparing to surrender lands. Moreover, there is still nobody in Azerbaijan who is ready to recognize Karabakh’s independence. In this situation, it is extremely important to continue the negotiations process since any kind of negotiation is much better than shootings from both sides,” the political party leader said.