“What does acceptance with exceptions mean?”
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan spoke at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.
According to a press release of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Armenia's Foreign Minister addressed the issues of Armenia's foreign policy and the steps being taken to solve the issues, the talks on the Karabakh conflict settlement and Armenian-Turkish relations.
The Armenian Foreign Minister's speech was followed by questions regarding Armenia's foreign policy.
In response to a question on how Nagorno-Karabakh became a part of Soviet Azerbaijan, Armenia's Foreign Minister said: "Today people are talking about the agreements between Stalin and Hitler and are calling into question the Molotov-Ribentrop Pact. In the meantime, they are not speaking about the agreements between Lenin and Kemal, as well as the decisions of Stalin and the Political Bureau, which served as a basis for the emergence of many unresolved issues in the South Caucasus."
In response to a question on the Azerbaijanis' claim that they have agreed to a certain version of the Madrid Principles and Armenia hasn't agreed, Edward Nalbandyan said: "In regard to one of the working versions, Azerbaijan has announced that it can accept the version as a basis for negotiations with certain exceptions. What does it mean to accept with exceptions? That means disapproval.
Is Azerbaijan waiting for Armenia and Artsakh to accept the "so-called accepted version" with exceptions? The Azerbaijanis consider this as a constructive approach. The impression is that the Azerbaijanis have closed their ears and don't want to hear what the international community is saying through the intermediary countries."
After his speech, Edward Nalbandyan met with Dean of the Fletcher School Stephen Bosworth. The sides discussed issues related to further development of cooperation between the School and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In Boston, Edward Nalbandyan took part in a reception organized by the Armenian community in his honor. During the reception, Nalbandyan spoke about Armenia's foreign policy and answered the attendees' questions of concern.
Edward Nalbandyan ended his U.S. visit and returned to Yerevan.
