Artsakh President’s spokesperson responds to comments by Foreign Minister Nalbandian about territorial concessions.
YEREVAN—Artsakh presidential spokesperson David Babayan did not equivocate on Tuesday when he told Azatutyun .am that there absolutely cannot be a scenario where Artsakh returns to its past borders—as delineated in the Soviet times—adding that all territories of Artsakh were important in ensuring the country’s and its residents’ security.

This announcement was in response to questions that were raised following a statement made by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian during his presentation at the Armenia-Diaspora conference currently underway in Yerevan.

Following his remarks at the conference, which were a reiteration of Armenia’s position vis-à-vis the Karabakh conflict resolution process and included harsh criticism of Azerbaijan’s military attacks on Artsakh, in response to a question from a participant regarding the concept of “return of territories,” Nalbandian’s explanation has caused confusion among conference participants and others.

“We are talking about those territories whose return will not endanger the resolution of the conflict and the security [of Artsakk] and will not threaten the outcome of the process,” Nalbandian said in response to a conference participant’s question.

“All the territories around Artsakh are important in terms of ensuring its security, there can be no return to the past in terms of borders and status,” said Babayan when asked to comment about Nalbandian’s remarks, adding that any compromise must be weighed proportionally.

“If we are talking about territories, we must remember that Azerbaijan is occupying many Armenian regions. Getashen, Martunashen, Artsvashen, Shahumyant must all be returned,” said Babayan. “There will be no unilateral concessions. Any one-sided concession will lead to disaster.”

Speaking to Azatutyun.am, Armen Rustamyan the head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation faction of the Armenian Parliament pointed out that there can be no unilateral concessions. He said compromises may be considered only when Artsakh’s independence is fully recognized.