Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has warned Azerbaijan not to disregard a basic principle of a peace plan proposed by international mediators in settling the long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh that will enable the people of the disputed region to decide their future status, Armenian media outlets reported.
“What is important is not who sees what, but who decides. And this is up to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to decide. This is also expressly stated in some provisions of the Madrid document that were published [during last year’s G8 summit in L’Aquila] immediately after the statement by the presidents of Russia, the United States and France,” Nalbandian said in a written statement.
“If Azerbaijan is against this basic principle, then it in fact obstructs the settlement process. It also obstructs the settlement by opposing Nagorno-Karabakh’s participation in the negotiations, because it is impossible to achieve progress in the settlement without Nagorno-Karabakh’s direct participation,” Nalbandian said. The Madrid principles entail the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territories outside Nagorno-Karabakh, the introduction of peacekeepers, the return of refugees and an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh with a subsequent “legally binding expression of will.”
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