Moscow never ignored status of Nagorno Karabakh - OSCE MG’s Popov

‘Moscow has never said the Nagorno Karabakh settlement must be confined to the return of seven districts of the region without taking into account the issue of the status,’ Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov responded, through the Russian Foreign Ministry, to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s article on "The Origins of the 44-Day War", TASS news agency reports.

In his article, Armenian PM claims that Russian proposals of Nagorno Karabakh settlement emerged in 2013 and were finalized in 2015, envisaging the return of 7 regions surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan, the return of refugees, and deployment of Russian peacekeepers. Pashinyan adds that the proposals did not touch upon and avoid the status of Nagorno Karabakh.

According to Popov, based on the latest version of Russian proposals of June 2019, mainly similar to the Kazan document, the handover of the 7 regions was firmly linked with the determination of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status and ‘the rights that would guarantee full-scale activity of its population, the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh’s representatives in OSCE sessions, the lifting of the blockade, the opening of borders and the bilateral pledge not to use force.’

‘Claims to the effect Russia called for returning seven districts ‘in exchange for nothing’ and forgetting about its status have nothing to do with the reality, the diplomat said.

Popov stressed that neither the Armenian side nor the Azerbaijani one rejected this proposal and negotiations had continued on a regular basis up to 2018 when Yerevan came out with new approaches, Armenpress news agency reports.

Armenian Foreign Minister responds to OSCE MG’s Popov Statement

In response to Popov’s statement, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan said that Armenia had given consent to the Kazan Document because it contained a full package of the fundamental principles of conflict resolution. ‘Even when Azerbaijan had rejected this document, the negotiations continued on the basis of these basic principles, moreover, even during the war the Azerbaijani side agreed to continue the negotiations around the basic principles,’ Ayvazyan added. The Minister agreed with Popov that the status of Artsakh has been and still is the most important principle of conflict resolution.

During the meeting with the parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Ara Ayvazyan said that the current situation in the region is a result of the use of force. ‘The use of force can form a new stage of the conflict but cannot resolve the conflict. Only a negotiated political settlement, which will respect all rights, and will pave a way to eliminate the causes and consequences of the war, can bring long-lasting peace in the region of the South Caucasus,’ Ayvazyan said.  

According to political scientist Hakob Badalyan, Popov’s statement followed the January 13 meeting between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders, said RFE/RL Armenian Service reports. In his words, it is obvious that Azerbaijan and Turkey aim to reduce Russia’s influence in Nagorno Karabakh, hence the issue of status is a playing card for Russia.

Political scientist Alexander Markarov told Panorama.am that there are clear differences in the perceptions of reality around the negotiations. ‘Former co-chair presents a position according to which in 2018-2019 Armenia started to change the approaches applied to the conflict before that,’ said Markarov. In his word, this is the continuation of the narrative that it was difficult for Putin to understand why the Armenian side rejected the options during the war, which were possibly more favorable than the terms of the November 10 statement.

Armenian FM called on Baku to stop militaristic and anti-Armenian rhetoric

In response to Baku’s statement that official visits to Nagorno Karabakh should be agreed with Azerbaijan, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan reaffirmed that ‘November 9 statement has not put any restriction and cannot put a restriction on the visit of Armenian officials and foreign partners, any person to Artsakh,’ Armenpress news agency reports.

Ara Ayvazyan paid an official visit to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) on January 5, where he met with Artsakh leadership, including President Arayik Harutyunyan. The sides were reported to discuss regional security and economic issues.

The Minister invited the Azerbaijani side ‘to deal with the reality, abandon militaristic and anti-Armenian rhetoric, and if they are really ready to establish normal relations with Armenia and Artsakh, to work together and start negotiations over the final clarification of the status.’

Minister Ayvazyan also commented on Azerbaijani’s violation of the provisions of the November 9 truce statement providing for returning the prisoners of war and remaining in the position the sides were on the truce day. According to the Minister, violation of the truce statement and international law, hostage-taking, and promotion of Armenophobia do not contribute to the building of trust in the region.

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