YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. The adoption of the Madrid document, as well as the idea of referendum as a base for the negotiation process are considered as a serious compromise by Armenia since the referendum on the Nagorno Karabakh’s independence has been held before the collapse of the Soviet Union in compliance with the fundamental norms of the international law and the Constitution and laws of the Soviet Union, “Armenpress” reports, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said answering to the question by Panorama.am news agency.

-Mr. Kocharyan, how would You comment on the statements by the Azerbaijani leader over the phased settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict?

-The Madrid document proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs supposes a package settlement of the Karabakh conflict based on the mutual compromise. One of the main features of this package settlement is Nagorno Karabakh’s final legal status in compliance with the legally binding expression of will of the Nagorno Karabakh people. In general, the adoption of the Madrid document, as well as the idea of referendum as a base for the negotiation process has been considered Armenia’s serious compromise since the referendum on the Nagorno Karabakh independence has been held before the collapse of the Soviet Union in compliance with the fundamental norms of the international law and the Constitution and laws of the Soviet Union.

The mediators were explaining the idea of holding a new referendum in order to give time to the Azerbajani leadership to prepare its people for the inevitability of holding that referendum, as well as for the lasting peace, rather than war. But after the adoption of the Madrid document, the Azerbaijani leadership used the time for distorting the essence of the negotiation process, preparing its people to war, maintaining the tension along the border with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia and conducting provocative actions.

The restoration of large-scale military operations by Azerbaijan against the NKR was the logical continuation of the Azerbaijani such policy which is considered as a gross violation of its international obligations proposed by the 1994-1995 trilateral termless agreements on the establishment and strengthening of the ceasefire regime between Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. The Azerbaijani aggression has been carried out by the gross violations of the international humanitarian law which had similarities with DAESH’s cruelty. These actions included shelling of schools as a result of which children were killed and wounded, tortures, killings, choke of the elderly people, as well as decapitation of soldiers. Moreover, the Azerbaijani President demonstratively awarded the barbarian who decapitated the Armenian soldier just as he did the same with another barbarian who axed the Armenian serviceman at the NATO lectures in Budapest.

The international community has made an attempt giving the Azerbaijani leadership a chance to return to a civilized constructive path. For that Baku must agree and implement the agreements reached in Vienna on May 16 and reaffirmed in St. Petersburg on June 20, and must contribute to the creation of the necessary environment for the restoration of the negotiations over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. However, the statements by the Azerbaijani leadership show that Baku loses that chance provided by the mediators.

The Azerbaijani April aggression clearly demonstrated the inability of the Azerbaijani leadership to follow the obligations proposed by the agreements signed by them, and proved that the package settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict may launch only in case of the NKR’s recognition by Azerbaijan and a statement by it on expressing its willingness to return the NKR’s occupied territories.

Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has nothing to do with Nagorno Karabakh, and the conflict must be settled within the framework of the implementation of the NKR people’s right to self-determination and the Azerbaijan’s responsibility for its aggression against the self-determined Nagorno Karabakh Republic.