Ter-Petrosyan Proposes Program on Artsakh Issue with Confidentiality Clause

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has recently been frequently addressing the well-known "Madrid Principles" regarding the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, emphasizing the importance of clarifying these principles. He first made this statement during a joint meeting of the security councils of Artsakh and Armenia in Stepanakert and reiterated it on April 7 during a speech at an extraordinary conference of the Union of Volunteers.

"It is necessary to get a clear clarification on what the 'Madrid Principles' may practically mean and what possible outcomes could arise from negotiations based on these principles. I want to say that I did not receive a clear answer on this issue in Vienna, and only after I get a very clear answer on this question will we clearly announce how acceptable or unacceptable these principles are for us and whether they are generally acceptable or not," he stated.

It should be noted that the "Madrid Principles" were proposed to Armenia and Azerbaijan in November 2007 in Madrid, and part of an updated version was published on July 10, 2009. Among the main principles is the transfer of territories surrounding the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast to Azerbaijan, the right of internally displaced refugees to return to their places of residence, and an interim status, among others.

However, very interesting processes occurred prior to the announcement of the "Madrid Principles." This particularly refers to the statements and positions of Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, concerning these principles and the leak from WikiLeaks.

It is no secret that the first president has consistently expressed negative opinions about the "Madrid Principles" and has never hidden this fact.

Interestingly, in many cases, the first president’s words convey a different message compared to the leaked documents. For example, in an interview on March 22, 2017, with the program "Out of the Agenda," Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated that he has not proposed any plan for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"All proposals that have been made up till now have not been our proposals or those of Azerbaijan or Karabakh, but rather the proposals of international organizations to us, the conflicting parties. The question is specific: there is a resolution plan based on the so-called 'Madrid Principles,' which has been under negotiation since 2007," said the first president, who had not missed an opportunity to criticize these principles upon his return to politics in late 2007.

Moreover, a WikiLeaks article published on October 17, 2007, discusses how the first president tried to convey his observations to Minsk Group negotiator Matthew Bryza on the condition of confidentiality.

"Considering President Kocharian's upcoming departure from office, Levon Ter-Petrosyan believes that the co-chairs of the Minsk Group should draft a document to record the state of negotiations. He did not want this to be documented as his idea, but hoped that Bryza would present it as his own initiative to the other co-chairs," states the article.

The article mentions that the first president noted that there should be some formal document to record what has been achieved in Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations. "He thought the best way for the co-chairs of the Minsk Group to do this might be to draft a formal document that would propose an already effectively agreed solution that encompasses all elements to both sides," the article says.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.