YEREVAN. – The parties need to listen to the arguments of each other for the dialogue to take place, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a press conference on Tuesday, answering a question about the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Asked how long Armenia is ready to wait, PM noted that there is no need to wait but to work consistently when it comes to the diplomatic processes. Speaking about the necessity of Karabakh’s direct involvement in talks, Pashinyan recalled that this not at all a new approach neither for the co-chairs, nor for Azerbaijani side.
“I want to emphasize that this is neither a caprice, nor a condition,” he said, adding that Yerevan continues discussions with partners. “The talks are meant for listening to each other. Armenia is at least capable of listening and trying to understand the opponent. And we expect the same. If our positions is too tough on some matters, we can soften it, but we expect the opponent to do the same. Otherwise, there will be no dialogue.”
Speaking about Artsakh’s participation in talks, he said it is not a challenge, but an offer for dialogue.
“Dialogue in fact started in Dushanbe, continued in Saint Petersburg and Davos. I do not know where it will continue,” he said, adding that rejection of dialogue is illogical.
“We are not abandoning the dialogue and intend to put arguments on the negotiating table, and are ready to listen to counterarguments. An effective solution should be found within the framework of this logic.”
Answering the question about the idea expressed by him during the joint meeting of the Security Council of Armenia and Artsakh about the necessity of evaluating well-known principles and elements, the Prime Minister noted that it was necessary to understand how we treat them and what they mean. According to him, there are texts of documents and dozens of comments to them, and they are made at the state level. The Prime Minister stated that the comments of the Azerbaijani side are unacceptable for us.
“We, of course, can submit our comments, but the point is not in exchanging statements. What does this mean in practice? Azerbaijan believes that Nagorno-Karabakh should be part of it. But there is also an interpretation of the documents, according to which Nagorno-Karabakh should be a separate state or part of Armenia. While the range of possible discussions is not agreed, we do not understand each other,”Pashinyan said, adding that the need for clarification appeared during discussions with the president of Azerbaijan, the co-chairs and other international partners.
“After being elected a Prime Minister, we met with former minister Edward Nalbandian. We asked him to brief us on some facts. And the process continues,” Pashinyan said.
“I need to understand what was happening and what is happening. Every word and every stage. This is not a whim, but a necessity. Yes, I received tremendous amount of information. But, it creates the need for even more thorough information. This is a complex process. Aliyev has been in the process for more than ten years; this is work for the co-chairs. I am the only new person, and naturally everything is interesting to me. Much is unclear. If everything is clear to everyone, why do we need dialogue? It is needed to clarify unclear issues. There are many controversial issues. What happened in Kazan? In Vienna? In Key West? The more participants, the more comments, and there are questions, they need to be clarified. As a new participant in the process, I must have answers to the question and hope for the assistance of partners,” Pashinyan resumed.
