Lavrov: Document signed in Prague determines Karabakh status issue

Interfax-Azerbaijan reports that Sergey Lavrov said the following at the news conference:

“When they – Azerbaijani President and Prime Minister of Armenia – came to Sochi, they brought from Prague the document which said that they want to sign a peace treaty guided by the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration.

And the Alma-Ata Declaration on the establishment of the CIS clearly states that the borders between the new states will be based on the borders of the former union republics of the USSR, where the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was definitely part of the Azerbaijan SSR. This was approved by Azerbaijan, Armenia, France and Mr. Michel without any reservations, and this determines how to approach the issue on the status of Karabakh,” Lavrov said.

“And when, by signing this, our Armenian partners tell us “let Russia confirm its proposals regarding the status of Karabakh,” well, you understand that it is not from the negotiation “opera”, but from another one,” the Russian minister stated.

“The Armenian leadership has recently been talking not about the status, but about the need to ensure the rights of the Armenian population in Karabakh. The Azerbaijani side is ready to discuss this and grant the rights that other residents of Azerbaijan have,” Lavrov added.