The key obstacle for peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is Azerbaijan’s non-constructive, extremist and bellicose position, President of Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan announced in an interview with Armenian Mirror Spectator.
President Sahakyan went to the American capital for his first official visit on March 12 at the head of a governmental delegation for a week of political talks and meetings. When asked what motivated this particular visit, the president responded that Artsakh has enjoyed friendly relations with the United States for many years and he himself has visited the United States on numerous other occasions. However, these trips were primarily connected with the work of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. “This time we had the opportunity, and we took advantage of it, to meet with political circles. I am very happy that such meetings took place”, he said.
Sahakyan appreciated the ongoing diplomatic efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs of which the United States is a member. He said, “We understand that the international community in the face of the Minsk Group is concerned with finding a solution to this complicated issue. However, the Minsk Group’s interest is not sufficient. Our profound conviction is that the non-constructive, extremist, bellicose position of one of the parties, Azerbaijan, toward this issue is the obstruction which we are unable to overcome to achieve more serious agreements.”
He also said that for the peace process to be successful, Artsakh must be one of the full parties or “sides” in negotiations along with Armenia and Azerbaijan, as was initially agreed upon at the 1994 Budapest OSCE summit, and that Artsakh continues to do whatever is in its power to restore that format.
The situation of refugees in the region is often raised in international circles. Sahakyan said, “At present, it is Azerbaijani refugees that are chiefly talked about. We naturally are in favor of talking not only about Azerbaijani refugees but also about Armenian refugees.” Sahakyan declared, concerning Azerbaijanis who used to live in Artsakh. “We have said on multiple occasions over the course of recent years that Azerbaijani refugees naturally can return to Artsakh, to the Artsakh Republic, if they recognize its jurisdiction”, he said.
Bako Sahakyan said that although the April War of 2016 with Azerbaijan had its negative effects on the development of the economy, that situation has been rectified now, and for the time being, border incidents are a bit less frequent.