YEREVAN (A.W.)—Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said on Aug. 24 that Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Interim U.S. Co-Chair Ambassador Richard Hoagland’s recommendations for the Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh) peace process during an Aug. 23 round table had certain inaccuracies and omissions.
During the round table discussion, Ambassador Hoagland presented his six main points—adapted from the Madrid Principles—for the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict settlement. The six points included a call for the “occupied territories” surrounding Nagorno-Karabagh to be returned to Azerbaijani control.
While answering a question at a scheduled press conference, Nalbandian said the position of the Co-Chair countries was expressed in five statements issued on the level of presidents, and has been reaffirmed by the Co-Chairs on numerous occasions.
“Alongside the six elements of the conflict settlement, the statements of the presidents and foreign ministers of the co-chair countries refer also to the three principles of international law as the basis for the conflict resolution: namely, nonuse of force or threat of use of force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and territorial integrity,” Nalbandian said, who explained that Armenia has repeatedly expressed its position on the statements of the co-chair countries. “That has not been the case with Azerbaijan, which ignores these statements and pretends as if that they do not exist at all. Thus, Baku blatantly opposes to the approaches of the co-chair countries,” Nalbandian added.
In his comments, Ambassador Hoagland opened the list of elements of the Nagorno-Karabagh settlement “from the determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabagh through expression of will,” which Nalbandian said should have a legally binding character, including for Azerbaijan.
“It has become endemic for Baku to backtrack from the prior agreements. This refers not only to the settlement process of the conflict, but to the confidence building measures, as well. Particularly, the statement of the foreign ministers of the co-chair countries in Hamburg once again urged to implement the agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summits. It is well known that Armenia and Artsakh have continuously reiterated their readiness to implement those agreements, while Azerbaijan has backtracked from its commitments,” Nalbandian said.
On Aug. 24, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) blasted Hoagland’s recommendations for the peace process, calling them “totally unacceptable” and a “non-starter.”
“The Administration is tossing out another reckless recipe for Artsakh’s destruction, expecting, it seems, that we don’t understand Armenian history, that we lack 100 percent solidarity with Artsakh, and that we have no sense at all of our geo-political interests. In a word, that we are idiots. Totally unacceptable. A non-starter,” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the ANCA, in his comments to the Armenian Weekly.
Inaccurate, omissions, these are all excuses by this inept regime for giving their agreement to the treacherous six points which is nothing but a capitulation of Armenian national interests and a tremendous disrespect to the thousand of heroes who gave their life liberating our seven regions and now our people must make a harsh judgement on this criminal regime.They should be thrown out once and for all for treason.We had enough of them.
Good riddance Mr. Hoagoland you useless genocide denialist. When is the Armenian regime going to flatly reject the ‘Madrid principles” like the ANCA did?? Who would agree to give lands back as the first stage of this conflict settlement with some supposed ‘future referendum’ with out guarantees about arstakhs final status? And supposed security guarantees with peace keepers? No thanks. The Armenian military will keep the peace. A final peace settlement, if there is such a thing from the Azeri point of view, should be comprehensive meaning all at once . No stages to anything. Any Armenian compromise should be in alignment with a FINAL status of a free and independent Arstakh. Someone needs to tell Hoagland that Armenia won the war and its rightful independence and is ready to defend and take more historical Armenian lands in case the Azeri’s resume violence. That’s the verbiage that the regime needs..
Trading territories for peace is a terrible idea, their strategic value shouldn’t be underestimated. And, Armenia would be wise to start building a case for the violation of Armenia’s territorial integrity, based upon the dimensions of the Armenian Highlands, which include much of Eastern Turkey, as well as Karabakh and Nakhichevan.