YEREVAN, September 19. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian does not rule out the return of some territories surrounding the administrative borders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Azerbaijan as part of the Karabakh conflict settlement deal. He, however, explained that these are the territories the return of which would not threaten the security of Artsakh.



"Do not think that we can naively believe someone and just give something away. When saying ‘return’, I mean those territories the return of which would not threaten Artsakh’s security and would not become a threat to the Karabakh conflict resolution,' Nalbandian said during the sixth Armenia-Diaspora Forum.



He also noted that the position of the Armenian side on the settlement of the conflict did not change. "In case of war, if it is not possible to stop it immediately, Armenia will recognize the independence of Artsakh, which will mean an end to the negotiations with all the ensuing consequences,' Nalbandian said According to him, if the recognition of Karabakh by Armenia would have immediately resolved all the problems, Armenia would have done so long time ago.



"The negotiations are going on, and we want to resolve this issue peacefully and together with the international community. In this regard, there is progress. As for Azerbaijan, by rejecting the proposals of the co-chairs, it is isolating itself. We will continue negotiations as long as possible. War is not a solution," Nalbandian said.



The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum. On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations.



A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh.



Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. ---0---





11:49 19.09.2017