YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Any option for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which doesn’t envisage the exercise of Artsakh’s right to self-determination without any restriction and can endanger the security of the people of Artsakh, is not acceptable for the Armenian sides, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said in response to the question of Kommersant newspaper.

Armenpress presents the MFA spokesperson’s response:

Question: In recent days various statements were made on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict which mentioned the stage-by-stage approach for the settlement. Please, can you clarify whether any documents supposing a stage-by-stage option for the conflict settlement were discussed during the April 15, 2019 meeting? What was the position of the Armenian side on this? What is Armenia’s current position on the peaceful settlement process of the NK conflict?

Answer: The results of the April 15, 2019 meeting were formulated in the joint statement of the Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani FMs and the OCSE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which is outlining the framework of negotiations and doesn’t include any reference or even a hint on the stage-by-stage option of the settlement.

Any option which doesn’t envisage exercise of Artsakh’s right to self-determination without any restriction and can endanger the security of the people of Artsakh, is not acceptable for the Armenian sides.

The proposals made still before 2018 and supposing a stage-by-stage option for the peaceful settlement are not acceptable for Armenia. Moreover, since 2018 Armenia is not holding negotiations which will be based on the stage-by-stage settlement.

Armenia has a clear vision on the balanced approaches, based on mutual concessions and equivalent commitments, which will make the fair and lasting settlement of the NK conflict possible.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan