YEREVAN, October 30. /ARKA/. Nagorno-Karabakh president Arayik Harutyunyan endorsed the Russian proposals of settling the conflict because ‘they are more beneficial for the Armenian side and because they would indefinitely delay an agreement on Karabakh’s status.’
According to many political analysts, the American (Western) variant of the conflict resolution, promoted by the USA and European Union, upholds Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.
‘The Russian proposals and approaches, if implemented, will be decisive for the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and its people, as well as for Armenia and other countries of the region,’ Arayik Harutyunyan said.
“We are confident that those proposals and principles that deny the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, deprive the prospects for a just resolution of the conflict and cast doubt on the existence of Artsakh should be rejected once and for all,” he said in a Facebook post.
Harutyunyan welcomed the Armenian prime minister’s statement that he agreed to work on an Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement based on Russian proposals and was ready to confirm it at a trilateral summit of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia slated on October 31 in Sochi.
“Of course, we would like to achieve a fair and final settlement of the Karabakh conflict and international recognition of its independence as a result of negotiations. However, taking into account the existing challenges and limited opportunities, in our view, the Russian proposals are more in line with the minimum criteria that allow to ensure the security of Artsakh and do not put its future in question,” he stressed.
“First of all, I mean an indefinite extension of the Russian peacekeeping mission stationed in Artsakh. Their presence is of vital importance, because since November 2020, Russian peacekeepers have been bearing a significant share of responsibility for the security of the Republic of Artsakh and its people. The second key parameter is the preservation of at least the current status of Artsakh. Russian president’s speech at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday gives a certain hope that these goals are quite achievable,” he said.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on October 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia supports the peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the delimitation of their border.
According to the Russian leader, the choice of the settlement option is a matter for Armenia, the Armenian people and its leadership. He said that Russia is not going to impose anything, and cannot and is not going to dictate anything to Armenia.
On October 28, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Twitter post that Armenia agreed to work on the basis of the basic principles and parameters to establish inter-state relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan presented by Russia in early September, and is ready to confirm this in Sochi. He expressed hope that Russia will support its own proposals.
Earlier Pashinyan stated his desire to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by the end of this year. The Armenian authorities hope that the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border will be completed before the signing of the peace treaty. -0-