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"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was never really a frozen conflict, even though we managed to guarantee the security of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh," Armenia's former President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with The Independent.

"Azerbaijan kept attacking us throughout these years. Real peace only comes through negotiations. We could have had it, for example in Kazan, Sargsyan said, adding: "After years of negotiations with progress and regress, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a package deal in June 2011. The Presidents of the three Minsk-Group co-chairing countries were delighted with the breakthrough. Russia made a public announcement about the invitation of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and myself to Kazan to endorse the deal.When we were all together in one room, Aliyev pulled a paper out of his pocket with a list of more than 10 far-reaching amendments. All had been discussed during the negotiations and were appropriately accounted for or dismissed in the careful balance of the text. Everybody was shocked, but much to the anger of the mediators, Aliyev stated that he would not endorse the document."

In Sargsyan's words, the opportunity for a conflict resolution through negotiations didn't die in Kazan even though in 2016 Aliyev violated the ceasefire and attacked Nagorno Karabakh.

"We have defended bravely, didn’t lose any villages and Aliev was bound to reaffirm the ceasefire, signed in 1994 between the authorities of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh," said the former president.

Asked to assess on the geopolitical mistakes made by his successor, Sargsyan noted at this stage it would not be appropriate to comment further on the current leadership of Armenia.

"My team and I, as well as other oppositional political parties, have made contact multiple times with both the current government in Yerevan and the President of Nagorno Karabakh, offering our services. But unfortunately they have not come back to us," said Sargsyan.