Pashinyan: Armenian side had recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Armenia recognized Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during Wednesday’s question-and-answer session at the National Assembly of Armenia, Report informs via News.am.

According to him, there are two parts: before the Madrid Principles, and after that: “In 2007, the Madrid Principles emerged. It was recorded that the status of Karabakh should be adjusted by some mechanism, and that mechanism should, in fact, be agreed upon by Azerbaijan. After the Madrid Principles, as a result of the ‘genius’ diplomacy of the Armenian side, the place from which Karabakh had to self-determine became Azerbaijan.”

Pashinyan noted that, according to the Madrid Principles, Armenia recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan: “We may be lazy most of the time from that record, but we are reaping its ‘fruits’ today.”

"It is our fault that we did not say this in May 2018. We thought that somehow we can get out of this trap, or at least it is our duty to do what is up to us to get out of that trap. But since the trap was internationally agreed upon, we could not do it," emphasized the Armenian premier.