The deputy Armenian foreign minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, said that there cannot be progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement without the participation of representatives of the breakaway region, Interfax reports.
He said that as soon as Azerbaijan stops rejecting the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiations it will be a sign that Baku is really devoted to settling the conflict.
Kocharyan said that concessions will be possible when two agreements are reached: the level of sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh should be higher than it is today. The republic is independent but it has not been recognized internationally yet.
The second agreement is that any guarantee of the security of the republic and its people should not discount the current guarantees. The positions of Nagorno-Karabakh provide for military balance and hold off the ambitions of Azerbaijan. The issue of peacekeepers will only be discussed after the the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and guarantees of security are approved.
