No positive trend for progress in NK conflict’s negotiation process – Armenian deputy FM
There is no positive trend in the negotiation process over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict which would allow to talk about progress, deputy foreign minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
Asked whether the Armenian side received guarantees on non-resumption of military operations from the international community for the meeting of the presidents, the deputy FM said the meeting and guarantee cannot be linked with each other. “I want to remind one thing which today is being speculated, the talk is about the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. In fact, there is the 1995 trilateral agreement between Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia on strengthening the ceasefire regime, and this is actually Azerbaijan’s international obligation. The logic is very simple: in 1994 the ceasefire agreement was signed with the expectation that there would be a comprehensive settlement. And there is a simple logic, mutual trust is necessary for that. The fact that 20 years have passed and there is still no progress in the negotiation process is linked with this. The same we witnessed in April when Azerbaijan attempted to resume the military operations”, the deputy minister said.
He said strengthening the ceasefire regime is not the precondition of the Armenian side, it is on the one hand Azerbaijan’s obligation, and on the other hand the very logical approach of the Co-Chairs.
“How can we talk about progress, when there is no trust between the sides. Moreover, the fact that Azerbaijan refuses from its international obligations already puts under question any future agreement. Azerbaijan can put a signature under an agreement and not implement it tomorrow the evidence of this are the violations of these agreements”, Shavarsh Kocharyan said.
Asked whether Armenia has a guarantee that the Azerbaijani side will not resume the military operations while negotiating, the deputy FM said: “Of course, we doesn’t have a guarantee, moreover, no progress in the negotiation process is linked with the fact that from the very start Baku has chosen a force policy in response to self-determination and doesn’t give up it until today”.
Asked in this case to what extent it is appropriate to launch negotiations, Shavarsh Kocharyan said it’s always necessary to understand that when the talk is about the negotiation process, there are two directions – the one relates to non-resumption of military operations, this is also the Co-Chairs’ mission, and the other relates to ensuring progress in the negotiation process. “These two directions are interrelated and taking into account the April war it is obvious that the Co-Chairs firstly put an emphasis on trust atmosphere”, he said, adding that the priority task is to ensure atmosphere of trust which in its turn means to put an end to provocations. “Azerbaijan should be brought to a constructive field, moreover, there should be guarantees that cases of refusing from signature will be ruled out, and after that it will be possible to talk about progress. It’s obvious that today there is no positive tendency which will allow to talk about progress in the negotiation process”, the deputy minister said.
