We Have Always Been Ready for Negotiations and Compromises: Nikol Pashinyan

First, military operations must cease, as it is difficult to envision a diplomatic solution under conditions of military action. After that, substantive negotiations must take place regarding the solutions, as outlined in the Moscow statement of October 10, which was accepted by the foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan.

This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Al Arabiya, responding to a question about his vision for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“What could persuade Armenia to sit down and negotiate this time?” the journalist asked. “We have always been ready for negotiations, and we have always been prepared for compromises. The problem lies elsewhere: at the moment a compromise becomes acceptable for Armenia, it immediately becomes unacceptable for Azerbaijan. I can provide you with the example of the Kazan process in 2011. You know, for the Armenian side, a critical issue is the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, more specifically, the recognition of its independence and the right to self-determination. However, during the so-called Kazan process in 2011, the Armenian side agreed to an interim status for Karabakh, which was not a final status, but merely an interim one. This means they took a step back from their initial position, with the logic of reaching a compromise. But at the last moment, Azerbaijan refused to accept that compromise and imposed stricter conditions on the Armenian side. This process has prevented and continues to prevent reaching a diplomatic solution,” the Prime Minister stated.