NKR WILL SEEK FOR RECOGNITION

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
05 April 05

At the hearings in the parliament of Armenia on the topic “The
Issue of Nagorno Karabakh: Ways of Resolution” which took place
on March 29 – 30 the NKR foreign minister Arman Melikian asserted
that the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh will consistently pursue
the international recognition of their independence. The minister
emphasized the faultless character of the legal foundation and
the procedure of declaration of the NKR independence underlying
the foreign political line of official Stepanakert. Arman Melikian
mentioned that the NKR government makes a distinction between the
problem of the international recognition of independence of NKR and
the problem of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “The
problem of settlement derives from the problem of elimination of
the consequences of the war instigated by Azerbaijan and cannot
be connected to the problem of international recognition of NKR in
any way. We lead the issue ourselves and we intend to bring it to
its logical end,” he said. According to the NKR foreign minister,
the Karabakh authorities make out in the international policies the
prerequisite necessary for the international recognition of NKR, and
in order to achieve this aim they seek to provide such precondition
in their own policies. Touching upon the peace process, Arman Melikian
singled out the facts that trouble Stepanakert. Nagorno Karabakh was,
as a matter of fact, left out of the talks from the beginning of
the Paris process when, they say, the sides were especially close
to reaching a compromise. However, Azerbaijan did not want to give
up anything, tried to present Armenia as an aggressor, and has been
keeping to this standpoint since then. “This circumstance worries
us, and we consider it necessary to overcome the consequences of the
Azerbaijani policies, which are getting more and more tangible,” said
A. Melikian. At the same time, he stated that he would not insist that
the process of international recognition of Nagorno Karabakh has been
developing in a negative direction. “There have been changes which
may later lead to the international recognition of NKR, and we seek
to expedite this process,” stressed A. Melikian. In this connection
he mentioned that during the March 29 meeting of the government a
package of bills directed at the regulation of the foreign policies
of the republic was discussed. The package included the bills on
joining the international conventions on diplomatic relationships
and consular relationships. The foreign minister stated that the fact
that an unrecognized state joins international conventions only seems
pointless, for the International Committee of the Red Cross presents
Nagorno Karabakh as a country which joined the Geneva Conventions at
the beginning of the 1990s. “We plan to take similar steps in reference
to a number of other serious international documents. This is one of
the essential features of our foreign policy,” stated the foreign
minister of NKR. He pointed out another important factor which was
neglected during the talks despite being essential. It is the problem
of the former Armenian citizens. Usually, when the problem of refugees
is concerned, mainly the Azerbaijanis who had moved from Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh and partly the Armenians displaced from Shahumian,
Martakert and other Karabakh regions fully or partly occupied by
Azerbaijan are meant. “We tend to forget that a vast number of people
were left out of the process, whose interests are not defended at an
international level. The NKR authorities consider this their duty,”
pointed out the foreign minister of NKR. While trying to trace the
fates of those people the NKR government held a monitoring in one of
the regions of Russia where a large Armenian community lives. The
findings showed that since the onset of the Karabakh events about
45 thousand Armenians displaced from Azerbaijan found shelter
there. Almost half of them acquired citizenship of Russia. Only
1000 – 1500 people became citizens of Armenia. The rest do not have
citizenship yet. As A. Melikian noticed, this concerns only one of the
regions of Russia. He pointed out that the problem should be attended
to persistently, just like Azerbaijan does, duly presenting the problem
in the international organizations hoping for restitution of their
material and other losses. “The NKR bill on citizenship being drafted
currently is directed at the solution of this serious problem. The bill
is almost ready. It will be proposed for discussion in 10 – 15 days,”
said A. Melikian. The foreign minister of NKR regards the development
of democracy and democratic institutions as one of the priorities
in the NKR policies. He singled out the upcoming parliamentary
election as a test on the process. “We anticipate the involvement of
representatives of the political forces of Armenia in the elections
as observers. Observers will be invited from other countries as
well, however, Armenia’s attitude towards this event is utterly
important for us,” said Arman Melikian. The minister also mentioned
the importance of taking into account the international situation and
global developments. “It is not accidental that different international
organizations attentively follow developments around Nagorno Karabakh
and try to influence them in this or that way, generally with kind
intentions, although there is negative intervention as well,” said
A. Melikian. “However, there is another problem too. We must keep in
mind that we are not alone in the world and we must be able to act in
accordance with the international interests reflected in the serious
changes taking place in the world. This refers to the enlargement of
Europe, the circulation of the idea of a Great Near East, as well
as the developments in the regions situated far from us. And if we
are not able to combine local processes with international realities
of global character, we may face serious complications,” said the
foreign minister of NKR. Answering the questions of participants of
the hearing, Melikian mentioned that in NKR the idea of holding a
referendum in Nagorno Karabakh is evaluated as the recognition of the
deciding vote of its people for their self-determination. At the same
time the minister emphasized the necessity of deciding the exact place
where the referendum will be held and Azerbaijan’s willingness to admit
the results of the referendum. The precondition for the referendum can
be discussed only after the answers to these questions are given. In
reference to the current border of Nagorno Karabakh with Azerbaijan
Arman Melikian said the borderline passes along the front line between
the armed forces of NKR and Azerbaijan. The minister mentioned that
Shahumian, Shamkhor, Khanlar and other regions of Nagorno Karabakh
occupied by Azerbaijan are being intensively populated not only by
the refugees formerly settling the territories taken under Nagorno
Karabakh’s control but also other Azerbaijanis. At the same time, Arman
Melikian showed discontentment with the process of settlement of the
territories controlled by Nagorno Karabakh with Armenians. “Certain
mistakes have been made in the process,” said A. Melikian.

AA. 05-04-2005