German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasizes that Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has taken brave steps in the direction of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement and underlines that it requires the opposite side to express readiness for brave steps too.
ARMENPRESS reports Angela Merkel said during the joint press conference with Pashinyan that some measures should come after words and the side should be ready for that. “I think that Mr. Prime Minister will keep doing that, but the sides have to reach an agreement for a final solution”, Merkel said.
The Armenian PM clarified Merkel’s comments about his brave steps. “As you may know, I made an announcement at the parliament of Armenia months ago which I consider very important. I have told that any option for the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be acceptable for the people of Armenia, people of Karabakh and people of Azerbaijan. And I hoped that a similar announcement would come from the Azerbaijani side, but no Azerbaijani official even in a half-voice said that any solution to Karabakh issue can be acceptable for the people of Armenia and Karabakh. I think that the story of this single announcement shows the situation we have in the negotiation process. And as far as no tantamount announcement comes from Azerbaijan, unfortunately, we cannot have great hopes that we can move forward in this direction”, Pashinyan said.
The Armenian PM added that the Republic of Armenia is committed to an exclusively peaceful settlement to Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “During our discussions I clearly recorded that I, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, can negotiate on behalf of the Republic of Armenia, but I cannot negotiate on behalf of Karabakh for the simple reason that the people of Nagorno Karabakh do not participate in our elections and have not voted for me. They have their own president, parliament, government and only representatives chosen by the people of Karabakh can speak on behalf of Karabakh”, Nikol Pashinyan said.
