Novosti-Armenia: Mister Kocharyan, how would you assess the year 2014 with regard to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Unfortunately, the passing year did not achieve essential progress in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and as in preceding years because of the Azerbaijani side, which continues distorting the essence of the conflict, attempts to use selective approach to the document, on the basis of which the conflict is to be resolved, distorts even what is on the negotiating table. What is discussed around the negotiating table and what is declared from Baku – are completely different things. Azerbaijan continues pursuing its destructive policy, directed towards the spread of hostility between the peoples, its military rhetoric and, moreover, provocative actions along the borders with Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is obvious, that it all can not contribute to progress in the negotiating process.

Novosti-Armenia: Baku assures that the condition to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan...

Shavarsh Kocharyan: First of all, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has nothing to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Nagorno-Karabakh Republic self-determined exactly in the same way as did Azerbaijan, i. e. the Soviet period. If, years later, they adopted some Constitutions, they have nothing to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. They concern only Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Baku adopted a legal document, which sets out that all the documents adopted during the Soviet era and refer to Azerbaijan were invalid, including the decision of the Bolshevik Caucasus Burеаu, according to which Nagorno-Karabakh was transferred to the Azerbaijani Socialist Republic. Today, by claiming territories from NKR, Azerbaijan is in fact continuing to pursue its policy of aggression towards the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is useless to say, that military actions against unrecognized state that is not a UN member-state – is an aggression. Those actions are aggression, according to the definition of the term “aggression”, defined by the respective UN resolution.

Moreover, the head of Azerbaijan does not refrain from even claiming not only the territory of the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, but also of the Republic of Armenia. They openly declare that Yerevan, Zangezur and Sevan are Azerbaijani territories.

Novosti-Armenia: Former President of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Elchibey claimed the same thing..

Shavarsh Kocharyan: Indeed, Elchibey promised that he will wash his feet in Lake Sevan. What followed is rather well-known in Baku. What was Elchibey’s fate? He is almost forgotten in Azerbaijan, but the father of incumbent President Heydar Aliyev is highly praised there. So, it is desirable that his successor continued the policy of his father, and not that of Elchibey. In the end, Heydar Aliyev was well aware that the bloodshed was to be stopped, he himself endorsed with his signature Vice-Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Afiyeddin Jalilov to held talks with respective representative of NKR – the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – over the organization of the meeting on the highest level, and to avoid such meetings. He then met with the representative of NKR. Today, due to that, we have the only really tangible outcome for the peoples – Agreement on cease-fire regime of 1994.

Novosti-Armenia: How would you assess the results of the meetings held in 2014 between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Sochi, Newport and Paris? Does Baku have its own interpretation of the results of Summits?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: The Armenian sides always were advocates of the negotiations, moreover, the meeting on the highest level are very important to us. Unfortunately, because of the destructive stance of Azerbaijan those meetings do not lead to any essential progress, as before and after those meetings, Azerbaijan as a rule, undertakes provocative actions along the line of Contact and the border.

Second, the Azerbaijani side distorts the essence of talks. Today, Baku stresses the necessity of immediate move to the peaceful agreement. Of course it is everyone’s wish. It is not only the wish voiced by Co-Chairs, but the Armenian sides.

But Baku, as if ignoring the fact, that in order to move to the peaceful agreement the Principles are to be agreed upon, on which it is to be based, as to principles, it perceives them in its own way.

Even the part of Madrid Principles, that was published, i.e. the six elements, Baku basically prioritizes only two of them – return of territories, that are under the control of NKR and the return of only the Azerbaijani refugees, as if forgetting that the territories of NKR are under the Azerbaijani occupation as a result of its aggression. Besides, one of the elements of the settlement clearly sets out the right of all the refugees, not only the Azerbaijani, to return to the places of their residence. It is apparent, that such an approach to the meeting, even on the highest level, will not lead to tangible results.

Novosti-Armenia: Azerbaijan also declares the necessity of signing a peaceful agreement, in circumvention of Madrid Principles. Is such a thing possible and under what circumstances?

Shavarsh Kocharyan: What should be in the agreement? In the agreement those issues are to be resolved, that are pointed out in the Statements of the Heads of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair States – the part of Madrid document that was published. We are talking about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the corridor, linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the right of all refugees to return to the places of their residence, and issues of opening up all communication links. It also includes issues on security measures, including peacekeeping forces, interim status of Karabakh. The dates of referendum are to be fixed clearly, its modality, and what the people of Karabakh decide will be legally binding for all the parties, including Azerbaijan. All those issues need coordination, as the principle «nothing is agreed until everything is agreed» operates here.

Second, all those elements comprise integrated whole, and one can not pull out what is profitable for themselves, moreover – present it in a distorted way. That is why it is illogical to say that the move towards the peaceful agreement itself is possible without agreeing upon the principles on which it should be based.

If Azerbaijan has such an unwise dream to move towards the resolution of the conflict in circumvention of Madrid principles, such an opportunity exists. It is that Azerbaijan should recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and start negotiations with it to clarify the border lines. It will be a guarantee that Baku steps back from its initially adopted power politics, policy of ethnic cleansing, policy of aggression against NKR, increasing hatred between peoples and subversive acts against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which indeed results in nothing but losses, first of all for the Azerbaijani side.

Sooner or later, Baku will realize that the conflict will be resolved in the framework of the realization of the right to self determination by the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and in the framework of the responsibility of Azerbaijan for the aggression against the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.