YEREVAN. May 25
The unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) should be involved in the Karabakh settlement talks, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters on Friday.
"Our primary objective is to involve [Karabakh] in the negotiating process exclusively within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group," Mnatsakanyan said.
Speaking of U.S. President Donald Trump's opinion that the Karabakh conflict could be resolved in the coming months, he said everyone wanted the soonest solution.
"However, the solution should reflect our interests, aspirations, and goals. Of course, this is about compromise, but it should rest upon our goals and interests and the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination," Mnatsakanyan said.
It is also necessary to preserve dynamics of the negotiations, he said.
Azerbaijan objects to the participation of the unrecognized NKR in the negotiating process and says it is not a party to the conflict.
A ceasefire between Armenia and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, for one part, and Azerbaijan, for the other part, was established in May 1994.
Nowadays, negotiations are being mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group founded in 1992 to search for a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict. The group includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and Turkey. It is co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States.