YEREVAN. – The recent statement by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Ricahrd Hoagland contained some inaccuracies and omissions, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told Armenian News-NEWS.am in response to a request to comment on six points voiced by Hoagland.
“I have already had an opportunity to answer that question today and mentioned that they [points] generally express the provisions of the five well-known statements on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict made by the presidents of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries,” Nalbandian said.
Asked whether Co-Chair Hoagland repeats the provisions presented earlier, Nalbandian said the American diplomat tried to adhere to the provisions, but his statement contained “some inaccuracies and omissions.”
“But, I do repeat that position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is expressed not by an individual statement, but joint proposals and declarations of the co-chairing countries, in particular the five statements adopted at the presidential level, which have been repeatedly reaffirmed by the Co-Chairs, such as the Hamburg statement adopted by the foreign ministers of the co-chairing countries. This is the position of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries,” Nalbandian said.
According to the Foreign Minister, besides the six points of the conflict settlement, the statements by the presidents and foreign ministers of the co-chairing countries refer to the three principles of international law: non-use of force or threat of force, equality and self-determination of peoples and territorial integrity.
“Armenia has repeatedly expressed its position on the statements voiced by the Co-Chairs, unlike Azerbaijan, which ignores these statements by pretending that they do not exist at all. Thus, Baku is clearly opposed to the approaches of the co-chairing countries.
Azerbaijani side has recently been engaged in making up scenarios on the settlement of the issue, inventing some elements of the settlement, while the statements of the Co-Chairs come to reaffirm that these experiences have nothing to do with the reality. In his latest statement, Hoagland begins the list of points from the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through expression of will, which must have a legal force, including for Azerbaijan,” Armenian official emphasized.
It has become a common practice for Baku to withdraw from previous which also refers to confidence-building measures, he explained.
“In particular, the statement of the foreign ministers of the co-chairing countries adopted in Hamburg also urged for the implementation of agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summit. As we know, Armenia and Artsakh have repeatedly expressed readiness to do so, while Azerbaijan refuses to back its commitments. Armenia will continue to take joint efforts with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries aimed at finding exclusively peaceful solution to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict,” Nalbandian concluded.
