Your trusted source

Free life is the future of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Armenia’s ex-President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with Izvestia Russian news agency.

“Yes, it is a small country, but this is not a reason to say, "you do not have the right to live freely",” said Sargsyan, who has been nominated for Armenia’s next prime minister by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.

He stressed people have lived there for millennia and will continue to live.

“Of course, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs – Russia, the US and France – are doing a lot to settle the NK conflict. Five statements have been adopted at the level of presidents, and they all say that the issue can only be resolved based on the three principles. These principles are inseparable, and that is very important,” Sargsyan said.

Armenia’s third president reminded that in 2007 the Minsk Group proposed to settle the issue based on the three international principles – non-use of force or the threat of force, territorial integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination.

“According to us, it is a balanced package of compromises. That is not what we have dreamed about. That is not the best option for us. But given the fact that the issue needs to be settled based on compromises, we have agreed to the negotiations,” he said. “However Baku put forward additional demands, and it was not signed.”

Sargsyan underlined “Azerbaijan cherishes illusions that Armenia and Artsakh must make unilateral compromises, and this is the only reason why the status quo maintains.”

He added however that the opposite side must also make compromises. “Azerbaijan still hopes to settle the issue by force. Experience from early 1990s and 2016 [the April war] shows that this is impossible. There will be new losses, but the situation will not change. We have to reach some solution sooner or later, but the sooner, the better,” Sargsyan said.