Azerbaijan’s failure to negotiate with Karabakh hinders progress: Armenia

June 12, 2018 - 16:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia can never assume responsibility to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) on issues which lie within the domain of the authorities and people of Artsakh, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said in the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 12.

According to him, progress in talks will be achieved only when Azerbaijan is ready to negotiate with Artsakh, Panorama.am reports.

Kocharyan says Baku’s failure to accept Karabakh’s participation in the process is a good litmus test, proving that Azerbaijan doesn’t intend to make progress.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also stressed that if Azerbaijan really seeks progress in the talks, it should negotiate with Artsakh instead of pretending that no such subject exists.

Kocharyan said changes in the two Armenian republics cannot but strengthen the Armenian side’s positions in the international arena.

Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers on June 7 that the status of Karabakh and the security of the people of Artsakh are Armenia’s priorities in the process of the settlement of the conflict.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.