STEPANAKERT. – By insisting on a phased settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict, Baku seeks to weaken the positions of the Armenian side.

Davit Babayan, press secretary of the President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), on Tuesday stated the aforementioned. He noted this when asked by Armenian News-NEWS.am to comment on the recent statement by Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

“We [the Armenian party to this conflict] have always spoken about a settlement by solely a package option; it means that everything must be done simultaneously. But we have to agree, resolve, think step by step and in detail about everything,” Babayan noted. “The phased option, which Azerbaijan insists on, assumes a phase-by-phase resolution of matters.

“I would like to remind that Azerbaijan doesn’t wish to make arrangements (…). The smallest unbalanced concession with appropriate actions by Baku will be considered in Azerbaijan as a signal for the adversary’s weakness and incompetence; and it will not be possible to make an arrangement with it.”

The Artsakh presidential spokesperson added that the key provision of the package option needs to be mutual recognition, and determination of borders; moreover, this matter shall refer to Northern Artsakh and Nakhichevan too.

“Numerous matters of interest for the parties should be discussed, and the plan for their resolution [should] be decided on,” Davit Babayan concluded. “Leaving the solution to ‘later’ will mean ‘not to resolve,’ which will bring about a more irresolvable problem.”