NKR FOREIGN MINISTRY URGES WORLD COMMUNITY TO FOLLOW ARMENIA’S AND USA’S EXAMPLE

Azg/arm
25 March 05

The Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh issued a press release
yesterday urging the world community to follow the example of Armenia
and the USA in providing humanitarian, financial and other aid to
Nagorno Karabakh.

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic proclaimed independence in 1991 but no
state of the world has so far recognized the right of Artsakhi people
for free life Armenia and the USA are the only UN member states that
have separate paragraphs in their state budges to assign financial
aid to Nagorno Karabakh.

The deputy foreign minister of NKR, Masis Mayilian, in phoned talk
with daily Azg labeled “high objectivity” the report of the OSCE Minsk
group’s fact-finding mission. The report indicates that the number of
settlers in neighboring territories of Nagorno Karabakh is 15 thousand.

“The NKR authorities accept their responsibility for the lives of
those people and will make every effort to improve their life, restore
their rights and compensate their lost possessions”, Mayilian said.

The Foreign Ministry’s press release reads: “Despite the fact that
the NKR authorities responded to RA Foreign Ministry’s request and
agreed to receive the OSCE fact-finding mission and provide them with
necessary technical support, the NKR authorities’ appeal to OSCE to
allow NKR representatives to take part in the hearing of the mission’s
report was turned down.

“It must be noted that the mission’s investigation was within the
territories, which are under NKR’s control since the ceasefire and
for that reason do not depict the overall picture of the humanitarian
disaster that took place after the war provoked by Azerbaijan and when
500 thousand Armenians turned into refugees losing their possession,
homeland and faith in future”.

Mayilian expressed hope that the world community will put an end to
double standards and will take a look at the Armenian refugees who
found shelter in the territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also issued a press release on the
OSCE fact-finding mission’s report on March 22. Expressing satisfaction
on the whole, Baku noted: “If the fact-finding mission did not find
direct evidence of Armenia’s participation in the settlement then it
shows only that Armenia acted in this case with the hands of Karabakh
secessionists”. “The attempts to leave Armenia out of the frameworks
of this issue are inexplicable and groundless”, the release reads. In
an interview to Baku ANS TV Russian OSCE Minsk group co-chair, Yuri
Merzlyakov, confirmed that the fact-finding mission found no evidence
proving that inhabitation of neighboring territories of Karabakh is
the result of Armenia’s policy.

“The Nagorno Karabakh authorities informed the OSCE co-chairs from
the very beginning of the fact-finding that they encourage formation
of new settlements in Lachin”, Merzlyakov said.

By Tatoul Hakobian