PanArmenian News
Jan 25 2005

KARABAKH PARTY ARTIFICIALLY LEFT OUT OF CONFLICT SETTLEMENT TALKS,
NKR PRESIDENT CONSIDERS

25.01.2005 13:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Two Armenian parties are involved in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict – Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. As the Karabakh
party is artificially left out of the talks over the conflict
settlement, giving an evaluation to its diplomatic activities is
incorrect,” stated President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady
Ghukasian in an interview with Regnum.ru. In his words, permanent
meetings of heads of the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan
are undoubtedly useful, however these cannot substitute for the full
negotiation process with equal participation of Nagorno Karabakh.
Answering a question about why is not the OSCE Minsk Group format for
the conflict settlement not to the liking of Azerbaijan, A. Ghukasian
referred to the military and political status quo in the
confrontation region, which does not suit Azerbaijan. In his opinion,
just due to that reason the Azeri leadership works for getting rid of
the OSCE MG mediator, which come for the necessity of mutually
acceptable compromises in the peaceful settlement of the problem, are
respective towards the Karabakh party’s position and keep in touch
with the NKR authorities. Speaking of Stepanakert’s posture over the
future status of Nagorno Karabakh, A. Ghukasian noted that “the
matter can concern only equal relations of two subjects of the
international law: the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan –
least due to the NKR having demonstrated to the world that the level
of democratic changes in it is much higher than that in Azerbaijan.”
“Having imposed a brutal blockade and then a war upon us Azerbaijan
even has not concealed its intentions to annihilate or evict the
Armenian population from Karabakh. One is hardly entitled to accuse
us in defending our right to live in our historical Fatherland with
arms,” A. Ghukasian concluded.