YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. The people of Nagorno Karabakh must decide how to live and what fate they want to have, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Deutsche Welle, reports “Armenpress”.

“Based on the principles proposed by the Co-Chairs in November, 2007 we till now hold negotiations. But every time when we reach some agreements and concrete mutual concessions, Azerbaijan takes a step back, and sometimes several steps back”, the Armenian FM said.

He said the Karabakh conflict differs from the remaining conflicts in a sense that the United States, France and Russia act with a common stance. “They have developed and presented common approaches on the conflict settlement to the conflicting sides. The conflicting sides are first of all Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh, as well as Armenia. These approaches are expressed in 5 statements made by the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries, US, France and Russia. We have announced and announce that we are ready for settlement on this basis. The Co-Chairing countries proposed clear principles and elements, moreover, the leaders and foreign ministers of the countries have repeatedly stated that these principles, elements were developed as a one entity and no principle, no element can be separated from the other one. Contrary to the stance of the Armenian side, Azerbaijan tries to pretend that such statements do not exist at all”, FM Nalbandian said.

Speaking about which mutual concession option he sees for the conflict settlement, Nalbandian recalled the statements of the US, French and Russian Presidents. “The talk is about the three principles, the first one is, excluding the use of force or force of threat. As you know, Azerbaijan continues everyday to threaten, as well as uses force. The second principle is the right to self-determination, and the third one relates to the territorial integrity”, Nalbandian said, stating that the conflict must be settled based on these principles, whereas Azerbaijan is talking about only the territorial integrity, and with its interpretation.

“If the interpretation suggested by Azerbaijan was used, now the countries would not be UN members which became independent states by using the right to self-determination. The essence of the issue is the self-determination of people of Nagorno Karabakh, the people held a referendum in the past and voted in favor of independence. The proposals of the Co-Chairs say that the final status of Nagorno Karabakh must be decided through expression of free will of the NKR people which will have an international legal force. This is the formula which says it all. The international community says something, and Baku says absolutely other thing. The people of Nagorno Karabakh must decide how to live and what fate they want to have”, the Armenian FM stated.