STEPANAKERT, NKR (A.W.)—Nagorno-Karabagh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Foreign Affairs Minister Karen Mirzoyan said that the final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict is only possible through the international recognition of Artsakh’s right to self-determination.
During a recent interview with Armenia-based Tert.am, Mirzoyan noted that the recent meetings of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg were important milestones, since they helped eliminate damages caused to the peace negotiations as a result of Azerbaijan’s wide scale attack on NKR in early April. Mirzoyan also stressed that NKR must be a participant in any negotiation.
“The absence of one of the main parties to the conflict, the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic, at the negotiating table makes it difficult to achieve a final settlement to the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict. We believe that the restoration of NKR’s direct participation in the negotiations proceeds from the interests of all parties concerned with the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict,” Mirzoyan said.
When asked about what compromises NKR is ready for in order to achieve a final settlement to the conflict, Mirzoyan stressed that Artsakh’s people must have their right to self-determination internationally recognized. “The final settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict is possible only through the international recognition of the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination and of the Artsakh Republic, formed as a result of the implementation of that right,” he said.
During the interview, Mirzoyan also stressed that the international recognition of NKR continues to be a top priority for his government. “The international recognition of Artsakh will not only become a powerful tool in ensuring the security of the NKR, but will allow to focus on the development of the necessary mechanisms and conditions for the peaceful coexistence of two independent, sovereign states—the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic and Azerbaijan, which emerged as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the war imposed by Azerbaijan,” Mirzoyan said.
How could the world recognize it if Armenia doesn’t?
The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs (Russia, US, and France) are doing a horrible job at not recognizing the rights of Artsakh to absolute self-determination, not blaming Azerbaijan for the ceasefire violations, and not letting Artsakh being a direct party to the negotiations.
The 3 co-chair countries are all hypocrites since they continually recognize self-determinations in other cases.
Armenians must be more critical of the OSCE and its hypocrisy.
Please realize that Azerbaijan plans to eventually conquer Artsakh and drive out Armenians.
That is the reason for the non-recognition. If Artsakh becomes independent, that makes it harder for Azerbaijan to conquer it.
Why are there not large-scale pro-Artsakh demonstrations in Armenia and Artsakh to strengthen Armenians’ hand at the negotiating table?
This is a gross failure if civil society and does not speak well for Armenian citizenry.
Apparently the world is uninformed, or prefers to ignore the true history of Artsakh (Karapagh) before the Bolsheviks took over the Caucasus in the 1920s. To educate the World on the true history of Artsakh, it is imperative to organize a World Wide Conference on Artsakh. This well researched Conference by specialists, historians ( also supported by published historical maps), International Lawyers, geopoliticians, Iranologists and should be held in Europe or the USA. This should prove once and for all the date of creation of the so called Azerbaijan and also document in detail the illegal Moscow/Kars ‘Pacts’ by which the Bolsheviks transferred Artsakh & Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan. The conclusions of this conference should serve the legitimacy of historical facts proving beyond any doubt that these territories never belonged to the Caucasian Turks now called Azerbaijan by Stalin’s decree.
Mirzoyan is absolutely correct, and the world needs to recognize the reality.
We have heard that Pres. Sarkisian of Armenia is willing to concede territory to the Azeri’s on Independent Artsakh. Has Armenia & the world powers forgot that Artsakh has always been part of Historical Armenia & that it was Stalin that carved up our territories with Kemal Attaturk whom were two dictators that illegally took over their Governments. Stalin gave Nakhichevan & Artsakh to the Azeri;s & gave Javakh to the Geogians & allowed Turkey to have Kars & Ardahan. These issues are never discussed & am ashamed to say that Russia after the downfall of the Soviets did not correct the return of Armenia’s Historic lands. The Armenian Government must wake up on this issue & the Diaspora Armenians should also be working on this tragedy of the Armenian Nation.
The right to self determination is the cornerstone of all western politics and should be applied universally if it has to have any meaning at all and not one that is resurected when politically convenient.
As a direct result of our catastrophic diplomacy and policies of our corrupt and criminal regime we are where we are.Its the policy defeatism rather than of a victories army.
American ruling establishment must be constantly reminded that if it wasn’t the right of peoples to self-determination, the country called “the United States of America” would have never emerged on the world map…