Many thanks to the former President of Georgia for being so sincerely interested in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, thinking about the region. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan told this to a press conference Monday in Yerevan—and commenting on the former Georgian president's recent statement in Azerbaijan.

"But we believe that the [OSCE] Minsk [Group] process has no alternative yet. Maybe other platforms will be created—but not for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, but for dialogue in the region. If there will be a dialogue—with the participation of Georgia—for maintaining peace and stability in the Caucasus, why not? But that is a parallel process. As for the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, we [i.e., the Armenian side] do not see an alternative to the OSCE Minsk Group," the Artsakh FM added.

As for the OSCE Minsk Group itself, Babayan recalled that no one has announced its dissolution, for that it is necessary to hold a summit and adopt a respective decision based on consensus.

According to the Artsakh FM, realizing the existence of problems in relations between the West and Russia, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are not meeting now, but each of them is fulfilling his respective duties, and perhaps the Minsk Group will be frozen for some time.

Answering the question about Azerbaijan's dissatisfaction with the Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh and the possibility of attempts toward their withdrawal, Babayan said: "Russia bears historical, political, and moral responsibility in the region. The conflict is not resolved, and I believe that the peacekeepers will remain [in the area] five years later."