Armenian minister urges recognition of Karabakh’s right to self-determination

Arminfo
29 Mar 05

YEREVAN

Progress in the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will be
made when international documents confirm the right of
self-determination of the Nagornyy Karabakh people and Azerbaijan
recognizes it, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has told
journalists.

He said that it will be possible then to speak about a solution to the
consequences of the conflict. “What the Armenian side is demanding is
not maximalism. This is the minimum we can claim. We only want the
right of self-determination of the Nagornyy Karabakh people to be
recognized,” the Armenian foreign minister said.

As for the possibility that the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] will
be included in the negotiating process, this can happen when the
presidents reach agreement on fundamental issues and only details need
to be discussed. “However, we are not at this stage yet,” the minister
added.

Commenting on Russian President Putin’s statement that Russia is ready
to help settle the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Oskanyan said: “I think
that this statement by the Russian president is a good wish. We also
want this, but the acceleration of the negotiating process should not
have an artificial nature. Such acceleration will lead to
complications.”

He said that Azerbaijan should stop making belligerent statements and
violating the cease-fire in order to ensure the effectiveness of the
negotiations. As for the OSCE mission’s report on the results of the
visit to the NKR-controlled territories, the minister thinks, if
Azerbaijan stops speculating with “the settlement of the
NKR-controlled territories” after the OSCE expert group’s report, this
will mean that Azerbaijan was worried and calmed down after the
report. If Azerbaijan continues speculating with this issue, this will
mean that Baku is pursuing political aims, the Armenian foreign
minister stressed.