Ashotyan Reminds of the Negotiation Legacy Wasted by Pashinyan Bringing Calamity to Our Country and People

I know that the Karabakh issue annoys Pashinyan the most. This was stated by the Vice President of the Republican Party of Armenia, Armen Ashotyan.

“Thus, I want to remind him again with facts, what negotiation legacy he has wasted, bringing calamity upon our country and people. It is already well known what kind of negotiation legacy we left behind, what kind of assurances there were regarding the international recognition, guarantee, and implementation mechanisms of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, as set out at the level of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, and it has been thoroughly presented by Serzh Sargsyan, Edward Nalbandyan, our party members, independent experts and other political figures.”

“Therefore, refraining from proving our negotiation legacy through domestic sources, I will only remind you with international or foreign references that support my statement.

1. The five joint statements of the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries from 2009 to 2013, which included the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination as defined in the Basic Principles of the settlement, and specified the key components of ensuring the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination. For example, in the 2009 declaration of Aquila, it was particularly stated that:
   • The final status of Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) should be determined through the expression of the will of the NK people, and the results shall have international legal force;
   • Until the final status is determined, NK will have a provisional status recognized by the international community;
   • The terrestrial connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh should be ensured.
   Later, these principles and elements were further detailed, elaborated, and fleshed out, as evidenced by the facts mentioned below.
2. The official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on January 13 this year, which clearly pointed out the negotiation legacy left by Serzh Sargsyan, notably stating, “As for the solutions regarding the final status of NK, the proposals put on the negotiation table in recent years envisaged the final goal: ‘The determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a popular vote conducted according to agreed timelines under the auspices of the UN or the OSCE, which would reflect the free will of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and would have a binding nature in accordance with international law norms and principles. By the way, the width and status of the Lachin corridor were also suggested to be considered only in the second phase.” This clarification also included the following crucial assessment, which proves the fact that Pashinyan has squandered our negotiation legacy: “These approaches were maintained until 2018, when Yerevan proposed new approaches.”
3. The similar official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on December 3 of this year to the statements of the Speaker of the National Assembly, which once again reaffirms the content of our negotiation package’s benefits for Armenia.
4. The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the EU, signed on November 24, 2017, contains the following provision: “ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of the Republic of Armenia’s commitment to the peaceful and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the need to reach that settlement as soon as possible within the framework of the negotiations conducted by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, also acknowledging the necessity to reach that settlement on the basis of the goals and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Final Act of the OSCE Helsinki, notably those goals and principles relating to the renunciation of the use of force or the threat thereof, territorial integrity of states and equality and self-determination of peoples, and reflected in all statements made within the framework of the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group since the 16th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the OSCE in 2008, also noting the commitment declared by the European Union to support this process.” This is clear evidence that the European Union officially enshrined in a legally binding document that the principle of self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is a part and parcel of its support for all proposals made by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (see point 1).
5. The official clarification from Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on April 9 of this year clarifies the international guarantees and legal framing mechanisms of the package proposed by the co-chair countries: “I want to emphasize that the package of proposals for the settlement, apart from the proclamations of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, also included a joint statement by Russia, the USA, and France supporting it. These two documents, plus the UN Security Council resolution reaffirming the package of proposals for settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, constituted the essence of the Russian proposals at that time, of which the other co-chair countries – the USA and France – were fully aware and supported.”
6. The statement made by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on October 7, 2016, at a government meeting, about the immense pressure being exerted on him behind closed doors to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

This is only a portion of the international evidence and facts that testify to the favorable negotiation legacy left by Serzh Sargsyan thanks to years of skillful diplomatic work for the survival of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh outside of Azerbaijan, fundamentally demolishing the audacious lies of the capitulator and his talking heads, whose purpose is to evade responsibility for the bloody war, dispossession, and thousands of casualties and injuries.” Ashotyan wrote, “All of the indicated information has been documented and preserved in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia at least until April 23, 2018.”