Artsakh Tells Warlick, ‘Territories in Exchange for Status` Unacceptable
STEPANAKERT—Artsakh’s Presidential spokesperson on Monday rejected remarks made by the US Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, who told a Russian news agency that only after the return of “some territories to Azerbaijan,” would a status for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which last week marked the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence, be discussed.
In an interview with the Russian Interfax news agency, James Warlick, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group said that the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict supposes the return of some territories to Azerbaijani control, in exchange for the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be determined. Warlick added that this was one of many conditions being imposed that include the return of refugees to their homes, and the deployment of international peacekeeping forces at the conflict zone.
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s presidential spokesperson David Babayan rejected Warlick’s formula calling it unacceptable.
“This does not mean, however, that such approach [Warlick’s formula] is acceptable to the Armenian side,” said Babayan.
“Security is the most important thing for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. No status is able to provide security, unless the adversary abandons its fascists rhetoric and the threats to ‘liberate the territories,’ including Zangezur and Yerevan,” added Babayan who said the Azerbaijan’s brutal attack on Karabakh in April makes it impossible for such a dialogue.
“If we are to speak of the territories, it is then necessary to discuss the territories under Azerbaijan’s control, such as Getashen, Shahumyan, Northern Artsakh and others,” said Babayan.
The presidential spokesperson said that the best option for the conflict resolution is for Baku to recognize, unconditionally, the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, after which “it would be possible to sit at the negotiating table and discuss the issue of the borders.”
In his interview with Interfax, Warlick went on to emphasize that a perfect resolution supposes the absence of winners and losers, saying that negotiations would be successful when “both sides win.”
Warlick went on to impose his and the other mediators position of forcing a co-existence between Armenian and Azerbaijanis, by claiming that a new a new generation has grown up not knowing each other, therefore, the Minsk Group co-chairs seek to remedy that.