Time has come to reject old principles: Artsakh FM on Madrid Principles

Convincing arguments have been presented at the meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office on why Artsakh should participate in the negotiations, Artsakh foreign affairs minister Massis Mayilyan told the reporters after the meeting with OSCE CiO, Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák.

To the comment whether provisions of the statement of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that no preconditions envisaging change of format should be forwarded, considering that they meant return of Artsakh to the table of negotiations, Mayilyan said, “The statement was not concretely discussed but as far as it contained different messages, we referred to it but no assessments have been voiced.”

Asked by Aysor.am correspondent on what expectations Artsakh has from Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting and whether Pashinyan has been authorized at the security council in Artsakh to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh Mayilyan said, “The meetings are very important, they should continue. Mr Pashinyan said that he must speak on behalf of Armenia as he is not authorized to do so on behalf of Artsakh. Mr Pashinyan will discuss the issue on restoring the trilateral format. No issue on giving a mandate to Pashinyan has been discussed.”

As to the claims that Karabakh conflict must be regulated on the basis of Madrid Principles and Artsakh’s regions should be returned to Azerbaijan, the minister said these principles were spoken about for many years and the co-chairs repeated them in their statement.

“During the past year we have not heard from them these claims, that is why it was a bit strange, but they tried to say that the proposals are still on the table of negotiations while our approach is that it is time to reject the old principles,” the minister said, adding that if no changes occur in the format of negotiations and Artsakh does not return to the table of negotiations no progress is possible.

The Artsakh minister also noted that the conflict with Azerbaijan is not territorial dispute like Azerbaijan is trying to present, “This is why it is inacceptable to start the solution of the issue from one-sided territorial concession. It distorts the whole sense of the conflict.”