Clearly, there are no unimportant articles in the draft of the peace treaty, but if we group and divide the articles very conventionally, we can say that one part deals with vital issues, the other part is more complementary, or they are derivative agreements arising from the main agreements. Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during the Parliament-Government question-and-answer session.
He emphasized that it is easier to reach consensus and mutual understanding regarding the articles of the second group. “It was possible to reach an agreement on several such articles before the Washington negotiations. In the Washington negotiations, two more articles were added to the number of agreed articles. Let me say something very important - by and large, nothing is finally agreed until everything is agreed. There is another group of articles where, by and large, this mutual understanding and reaching a common denominator is visible. And there is a third group, and unfortunately, this third group deals with the most vital issues, here the parties are quite far from reaching an agreement, but it can I said that the last three rounds of negotiations until today give me at least a reason for cautious optimism. Of course, I can make this very subjective statement, sharing my understanding with the caveat that the other party must also give his consent for the understanding to become a mutual understanding.
Yes, the recent meetings in Washington, Brussels, Moscow, and I also hope that they will continue in Moscow, Chisinau, even on the most important issues, much deeper, thorough discussions took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, which, I repeat, gives me a reason for cautious optimism,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Referring to the red lines, Mirzoyan noted that the maximum possible certainty in the context of Armenia’s borders and their recognition is a red line. “Of course, we do not imagine that Armenia should and is possible, it is realistic, to regulate relations with Azerbaijan, to have long-term peace in the South Caucasus, if the threat of ethnic cleansing continues to hang over the head of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, if the issues of security and guaranteeing all their rights and imperatives are not addressed. There are these and other red lines, and the negotiations in those directions are ongoing,” Mirzoyan noted.
