Serj Sargsyan Comments on Putin's Recent Statements

Armenia has never rejected proposals for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated by the third President of Armenia, Serj Sargsyan, during a press briefing with journalists.

The former president was asked to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements regarding the Armenian leadership's rejection over the past 10-15 years of a proposal to return five regions of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, provided that the timelines for a referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh would be maintained.

According to Sargsyan, the whole world knows that in 2011, it was the Azerbaijani side that refused to sign the document in Kazan. Furthermore, Sargsyan added that until April 2018 (when he resigned), Armenia did not discuss any documents aside from the well-known formula concerning compromises.

“We have said to all the co-chairing countries, 'Get Azerbaijan’s consent, and then we will express our opinion.' In all cases, the Azerbaijanis have been against it. We have not rejected any proposals because no other proposals have been received aside from the known compromise option,” emphasized Serj Sargsyan.

It is noteworthy that during the Valdai Discussion Club meeting on October 5, Putin stated that Russia has offered its Armenian friends to compromise by returning five regions of Karabakh to Azerbaijan while keeping two and thereby maintaining the territorial connection between Armenia and Karabakh. However, Armenian partners have stated that this option would create threats for Armenia.