Armenia Does Not Consider Exchange of Individuals in Detention in the Territories of the Sides: Naghdalyan

The spokeswoman for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, has responded to the comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the ‘Valdai’ conference.

Question: How do you comment on the statement of the Russian Foreign Minister that certain declarations regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the phrase 'Artsakh is Armenia, period,' do not contribute to creating a favorable environment for the restoration of the political process?

Answer: Armenia has been and remains a supporter of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship format, which serves as a guarantee for an impartial and unbiased mediation in the peaceful resolution of the conflict, maintaining unity among the co-chairing countries. At the same time, we consider it important that each of the mediators avoids selective and unilateral assessments.

Regarding the comments mentioned in your question, we reaffirm the statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 6. The Armenian side's position is clearly expressed in all of the Prime Minister's remarks, including the speech delivered at the UN on September 24, which reiterated Armenia's proposed formula for achieving peace and compromise. In this regard, we find it unacceptable that Azerbaijan fails to publicly articulate solutions for peaceful resolution that would be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh, and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's claims that unilaterally predetermine the outcomes of negotiations, asserting that the issue should be resolved 'exclusively within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity,' do not foster the creation of an appropriate environment for advancing the peace process.

Question: The Russian Foreign Minister also mentioned the exchange of bodies, as well as the exchange of a small number of individuals in detention. Can you clarify what this refers to?

Answer: There has been no exchange of bodies; rather, the Artsakh side, as a humanitarian gesture, allowed for the retrieval of the body of an Azerbaijani soldier. It must be clearly established that Armenia does not consider exchanges of individuals in detention in the territories of the sides, but advocates addressing each individual case within the framework of humanitarian law.