"Under Serzh" Artsakh`s right to self-determination was incorporated  even in Russia`s most important foreign policy documents - Armen  Ashotyan to Armenia`s premier 

ArmInfo.Armen Ashotyan, Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), has responded to Premier Nikol Pashinyan's statement on the "former ones'  disastrous heritage" of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. 

"The Nikol-led propaganda machinery is singing the same old song to  justify its own diplomatic and military failures. I am speaking of  the so-called 'negotiation heritage' of Serzh Sargsyan," Mr Ashotyan  writes. 

According to him, that heritage was the best solution to the Artsakh  conflict (and last January, in Kapan, Nikol Pashinyan himself  publicized Serzh Sargsyan's heritage). 

He stressed that Armenia's position at the negotiations were  consistently shattered, with the army being dissolved; otherwise, the  Armenian side would not have suffered a defeat in the 44-day war. 

"Now I would like to draw your attention to the points pertinent to  the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Russia's foreign policy concept of  different years.  This document is the supreme legal document of  Russia's foreign policy, with that state's priorities proceeding from  it. 

"Thus, the 2013 concept contained a point on a settlement of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which not only highlighted the format of  the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, but also established the principles  incorporated in the co-chairs' statements in 2009-2011. 

"Secondly, Russia's new foreign policy concept of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement also contained a point which,  beside highlighting the co-chairmanship format, established the  settlement principles based on the principles incorporated in the  five joint statements by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group  co-chairing countries," Mr Ashotyan stressed. 

The principles provided for international guarantees of the  Nagorno-Karabakh people's right to self- determination, and in its  foreign policy Russia regarded this right as the basis for settling  the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict along with the two other co-chairs. 

"And in 2013, Russia's foreign policy concept does not contain the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.  Summing up, we can state the  following: 'under Serzh [Sargsyan]' Artsakh's right to  self-determination was incorporated even in Russia's most important  foreign policy documents, whereas it is not the case 'under Nikol',"  Mr Ashotyan said.  

Armenia's premier on Wednesday presented his own interpretation of  the documents on Nagorno- Karabakh. 

According to him, the problem needs considering from two angles:  before the Madrid principles and after them.

"Before the Madrid principles the Armenian side's position was as  follows: Nagorno-Karabakh had never been part of independent  Azerbaijan and, after the USSR disintegration, Artsakh exercised its  right to self- determination by seceding from the USSR along with the  other entities as an independent entity, which fact was recorded in  the Almaty declaration. 

"In 2007, when Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan were Armenia's  president and premier respectively, the Madrid principles were  formulated, which highlighted both states' territorial integrity and  people's right to self-determination. A need was highlighted for  specifying Nagorno-Karabakh's status using some mechanisms that would  have been agreed on with Azerbaijan as well. Before the Madrid  principles it was the USSR that was in question, whereas it is  Azerbaijan now. It means that Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be art of  Azerbaijan to exercise its right to become a self-determined entity;  otherwise, it is not clear how it can become such. This is the real  content, which is our major omission," Mr Pashinyan said. So  Armenia's authorities fell into a trap they have been unable get out  of since 2018. 

However, the premier's statement gives rise to many questions. If his  statements are true why did Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev  complained at a Cabinet meeting back in 2016 that Azerbaijan was  being forced into recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh? 

"Behind closed doors we are being forced into agreeing to recognize  Nagorno-Karabakh. We are not disclosing many details because of  diplomatic rules," President Aliyev stated during his speech at a  Cabinet meeting that discussed the results of socio-economic  development in January-September, 2016, and further programmes.  

Moreover, after the military aggression against Artsakh in autumn  2022, Aliyev boasted he had been able to "return the seven districts"  and even Shushi, whereas Serzh Sargsyan had never intended to return  Qarvachar or Berdzor.