FM Nalbandian “The Settlement of the Conflict is Impossible Without the Participation of Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN – The resolution of the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is impossible without the direct participation of the NKR in negotiations, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told Sputnik in an interview.

“The resolution of the conflict is impossible without the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is clearly understood and this is what the mediators speak of. The Azerbaijani side simply pretends that it does not understand, hiding its head in the sand, but all working documents discussed in recent years envisage direct participation of the Karabakh side in the elaboration of the agreement on comprehensive settlement of the conflict,” Nalbandian said.

During their visits to the region, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, meet with the leadership of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). “Nagorno-Karabakh is indeed involved in the negotiation process, but at the current stage not in a fully-fledged format, that is, there are no direct talks between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani side because of the reluctance of the latter,” Nalbandian said.