POLITICAL FORCES OF ARMENIA WILL NOT JOIN STATEMENT OF
JUSTICE OPPOSITION BLOC ON NAGORNY KARABAKH

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8. ARMINFO. The parliamentary political forces in
Armenia are unlikely to join the statement of the opposition bloc
Justice on Nagorny Karabakh.

Talking to ARMINFO, Head of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations
Commission, Representative of the ARFD Supreme Body Armen Roustamyan
says that the statement of the opposition bloc Justice on Nagorny
Karabakh is unacceptable as it proposes a full resolution of the
conflict. <If the opposition really aspires for elaboration of a
document contributing to solution of the conflict this document
must not contain accusations against anyone and it must be above
party and political interests. Of course, all the political forces
share the concern of the opposition over adoption of documents by the
international structures unfavorable for Armenia, however, a way out
of the situation requires deeper and complex work than adoption of
statements,> he says.

In this connection, Roustamyan says that the Parliamentary Foreign
Relations Commission plans open parliamentary hearings in late March
on Nagorny Karabakh. A task group headed by Armen Roustamyan has
been formed. He says that the hearings will result in a resolution,
which will become the basic strategy of the parliamentary diplomacy
in the issue of Nagorny Karabakh. Armenia yields to Azerbaijan in
its propagandist activity for lack of such a documents, he says. He
says that the parliamentary hearings will result in publication of
a brochure containing speeches and statements of the participants.
Roustamyan notes that among the invitees to the hearings will be
representatives of parliamentary and non-parliamentary political
forces, experts, scientists, representatives of international
organizations and diplomatic missions in Armenia, Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan and representatives
of Nagorny Karabakh. Roustamyan says that a broad spectrum of issues
will be discussed, as the hearings may last several days.

In his turn, Head of the RPA faction Galust Sahakyan says that the
statement of the Justice bloc on Karabakh is belated, as yet in
2001 the parliamentary political forces adopted a single statement
on Nagorny Karabakh not yielding to that of the bloc. The statement
of 2001 calls the international community to provide guarantees of
security of Karabakh ruling out a possibility of Karabakh’s becoming
an “enclave,” as well as they called inadmissible subordination
of Stepanakert to Baku. Sahakyan says that the position of the
parliamentary forces has not changed, so there is no need for an
analogous document. He notes that the essence of the bloc’s statement
is criticism addressed to the authorities related to the policy on
Karabakh issue.

In his turn, Head of the deputy group National Deputy Karen Karapetyan
notes that it is better adopt a statement on Nagorny Karabakh after
the parliamentary hearings, taking into account the positions, speeches
and comments. It is noteworthy that event the Justice bloc’s companion
in the struggle against the authorities, the National Unity party has
not joined the statement, motivating it by a possible joining of the
ruling majority of the “illegitimate parliament.”