Nagorno-Karabakh should be direct participant in peace talks – official

A spokesperson for Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) President Bako Sahakyan hails the recent statement by the OSCE Minsk Group’s Russian co-chair calling for the country’s direct participation in the current peace talks.

“There are two approaches,” David Babayan said in comments to Tert.am on Saturday morning, “What I hail is that it is that they are openly stating that Artsakh should return to the negotiating table and that we, the people of Karabakh, should be the masters of our fate as its future residents. But Artsakh’s participation in the process should be comprehensive; we should not join the talks at a certain round. We must be in it in all the phases – whether an exchange of thoughts and statement of approaches or formation of documents and generalized position,” he said, describing that logic as the most adequate and realistic.

In his statement calling for Nagorno-Karabakh’s return to the peace process, Igor Popov stressed the importance of involving the country in the talks at any round of signing the framework agreement.