Important to clarify OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ proposed principles, elements – says Pashinyan

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan says an important goal of the upcoming NK conflict resolution negotiations process must be the clarification of the 3 principles and 6 elements brought forward by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

important question that requires an answer is the following – does the Government of Armenia accept the 3 principles and 6 elements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as a basis for negotiations process? This is truly a highly important question, but in response to this question we need important clarifications. And what might these principles mean practically, and who has the right to interpret them?

This is important, because the way these principles Azerbaijan is interpreting is unacceptable for us. We certainly can proceed with our own interpretation of these principles, but this has no sense because our goal isn’t a verbal altercation but efficient negotiations process. And therefore, records not giving way for misinterpretations should become basis of negotiations process. But the principles and elements proposed by the Co-Chairs, as I already mentioned, have caused the most various and most differing interpretations in the past 10 years, and therefore the clarification of the so-called main contradictions, the 3 principles and 6 elements, must be the important goal of the upcoming negotiations process, and we are ready for this kind of a talk also.

The next important issue is preparation of the populations for peace. I find it noteworthy to stress that preparing the populations for peace cannot be the individual problem of a given government involved in the talks, this is a joint work. I mean, for example, preparation of the Azerbaijani community for peace must take place not only with the participation of Azerbaijan, but also the Government of Armenia.

This is the very realization that forced me in autumn of 2018 to make basically an unprecedented statement in our times from parliament floor, saying that any solution of the Karabakh issue must be acceptable for the populations of Armenia, of Artsakh and of Azerbaijan. This was my contribution in preparing for peace not only the populations of Armenia and Artsakh but also of Azerbaijan. Regretfully, we don’t see adequate statements or steps by the Azerbaijani president. Despite this, I am ready to continue dialogue not only with the Azerbaijani president, but also the people of Azerbaijan, because I am sure that the people of Azerbaijan are as much peace-loving as the people of Armenia and the people of Artsakh”, he said during a joint meeting of Armenia’s and Artsakh’s security councils in Stepanakert.