FM: Armenia Will Not Make Unilateral Concessions on Karabakh

YEREVAN — The peaceful resolution of the NK conflict remains the top priority of Armenia’s foreign policy, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told lawmakers at a hearing on the government’s action plan’s execution.

Mnatsakanyan said that Armenia has clearly defined its approaches in the resolution of the NK conflict, and these approaches have been expressed at numerous occasions, including during the 2019 OSCE ministerial in Bratislava.

According to him, Armenia will not make unilateral concessions on Karabakh and has always said that the solution to the problem is based on the principle of mutual concessions.

“No one can expect any steps from Armenia, involving concessions, and that could harm our national security,” Mnatsakanyan said.

According to him, it is clear that the issue is being actively discussed in the domestic political field, “domestic policy remains domestic policy, and you cannot run away from it.”

According to the minister, the security of the people of Karabakh has been declared a priority by the Armenian side, and the primary task of Armenia is to ensure existential security.

“There will be no repetition of April 2016, there will be no 1991-1994. For this we have enough determination,” the Foreign Minister noted, adding that there is a national consensus on this issue, which only strengthens the position of the Armenian side.

“With this goal Armenia continued closely cooperating with international mediators, the Minsk Group co-chairs, in the direction of the Artsakh conflict’s peaceful resolution. A meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders and meetings at the foreign ministerial level have taken place. During the year it was possible to achieve two agreements – in the direction of preparing the populations to peace and creating conditions conducive for peace,” FM Mnatsakanyan said.