The vision of dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku proposed by the Russian side reflects only the viewpoint of Azerbaijan: Artsakh FM’s response to Lavrov

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh commented on
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement regarding the necessity of
negotiations between Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

“While not questioning Russia’s commitment to helping the
parties find a long-term settlement to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and
facilitate the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we
believe it is necessary to note that the vision of dialogue between Stepanakert
and Baku proposed by the Russian side reflects the viewpoint of only one party
– Azerbaijan. Such an approach predetermines the outcome of any potential
dialogue and thereby undermines and devalues its meaning. The assertion that
the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict is a problem of ensuring the rights of a national
minority is a false narrative promoted by Azerbaijan with the aim of distorting
the essence of the conflict and justifying the denial of the right of the
people of Artsakh to self-determination, a fundamental principle of
international law, which the Russian Federation itself has invoked many times.
Claims suggesting that Azerbaijan will voluntarily adhere to any international
mechanism for negotiations are devoid of any basis,” reads the statement.

Artsakh Foreign Ministry emphasized that the right to secession,
based on the principle of self-determination of peoples, prevails over the
principle of territorial integrity of states in cases of massive, serious human
rights violations and discriminatory policies.

“This formula, in particular, is described in the
Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations
and Co-operation among States, which has been repeatedly invoked by the Russian
Foreign Minister,” reads the statement.