INTERVIEW WITH NKR PRESIDENT

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
12 July 05

De Facto: Recently the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Terry Davis has stated that Nagorno Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan and
the issue should be resolved in terms of the territorial integrity of
the Republic of Azerbaijan. Arkady Ghukassian: The full action of the
principle of territorial integrity in reference to both Nagorno
Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan can be concerned only
after signing an agreement and demarcation of the shared border. Both
republics have been proclaimed in the territory of former Soviet
administrative units, and as two independent countries they must come
to an agreement in reference to this matter. De Facto: In his
interview to the news agency Azertaj the Special Representative of the
chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on Nagorno Karabakh Goran
Lenmarker objected to the recognition of the independence of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic. Particularly, he said that they cannot allow many
mini states in the Caucasus; there need to be three strong stated in
the region which should be treated with respect. This viewpoint is
reflected in his report. A.G.: This is a political and not a legal
approach. Recognizing the South Caucasian region as part of Europe,
Mr. Lenmarker detects danger in recognizing the independence of mini
states. If guided by this logic, the Europeans must begin to fight
against the independence of Monaco or Luxembourg. I think the level of
accomplishment of a state is not directly related to the territory it
occupies. Only the ability of the nation to take the responsibility
for its future, the level of its self-organizations and the
correspondence of its worldview to the modern developments of the
civilization can be real touchstones. Nagorno Karabakh Republic
corresponds to these standards. De Facto: Is it possible to view the
recent parliamentary election in Nagorno Karabakh republic in this
context? A.G.: Definitely. For us the elections are, in fact, a very
important and effective democratic means which provide for the liberty
and responsibility of both the individual and the society. The
presence of many observers, including also representatives of the
Islamic world proves the great interest of the international community
in state building and democratic reforms in Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. Moreover, the analysis of the election programmes of the
political parties and candidates standing for parliament revealed that
the independence and sovereignty of the country is the highest
value. Our elections should foster further development of the
state. De Facto: Statesmen of certain countries expressed a negative
opinion on the fact of holding that election. A.G.: Its a pity that
the basic human principles are sacrificed to timeserving political
interests. Although, I should state that this time similar responses
to the election were much more reserved. Probably, the necessity of
getting reconciled with the reality is felt more sharply.

DE FACTO.
12-07-2005