Karabagh ARF Urges Mediators to Aid Peace Process
STEPANAKERT, NKR—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR) on June 22 issued the following announcement on the eve of a June 24 meeting in Kazan between presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and mediated by Russia, to discuss the Karabagh-Azerbaijan conflict.
The ARF Artsakh Central Committee:
–commends the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in peacekeeping throughout negotiations over the conflict;
–welcomes the three lead principles of international law put forth by the negotiation process—the end to use of force, right to self-determination, and territorial integrity—and that decisions have not been taken on the principles without the inclusion of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic during the negotiation process;
–commends the role of the Republic of Armenia in the negotiation process, especially as the security guarantor of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic;
–realizes that the international recognition of the de facto Nagorno Karabagh Republic as an autonomous and independent state will lead to the establishment of stable peace in the region, which was proven with the international recognition of Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South-Ossetia;
–finds unacceptable the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in the conflict zone, and considers that as direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign independent state;
–finds unacceptable any move to backtrack from real peace guarantees, which have been maintained and preserved for 17 years;
–is convinced that without the full participation of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic as a side to the conflict in the Karabagh-Azerbaijan conflict resolution process, it will be impossible to register advances, and that the already breached negotiation process cannot present a complete and lasting solution;
–believes that the expression of the free will by the people of Karabagh through referenda must become the basis for the negotiation process and a priority;
–finds it imperative that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs—and other mediating entities—must focus not on the consequences of the Karabagh-Azerbaijan conflict, but rather work toward putting an end to the basic reasons that led to war, which have not, until now, been discussed in the peace process;
–believes that the people of the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic, just like all the people in the world, have the right to determine their own fate and the future of their country; and
–is convinced that victory for the just struggle for rights is accomplished and the effort for recognition of the independence of our state is irreversible.
Based on the aforementioned, the ARF Artsakh Central Committee reaffirms its resolve to bring the Artsakh liberation struggle to its final stage and calls on the co-chairs and mediators to refrain from taking steps that will endanger the current balance and peace.
