ARMAN MELIKIAN: TODAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CREATE ATMOSPHERE OF NEGOTIATIONS

YEREVAN, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. “We separate the issue of the NKR
status from the issue of the conflict settlement. We should speak
about the necessity of liquidation of war consequences, and that
should be done in the context of internationally recognized norms of
securing the human rights,” Arman Melikian, the NKR Minister of
Foreign Affairs stated at the meeting which took place at the July 21
National Press Club. According to him, no great changes have taken
place in the process of negotiation on peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict. Besides, Arman Melikian affirmed that the
negotiation process is significantly activized, and highly estimated
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen’s efforts. As for the participation
of the NKR in the negotiations, the Minister mentioned that the
Karabakh party is ready to participate in the negotiations but does
not consider that participation an end in itself: “For us it is
important to make sure that those negotiations are aimed to concrete
results.” At the same time, he emphasized that the NKR gets the whole
necessary information about the process of the negotiations. He
disproved the news about the presence of disagreements between the
Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh in the issue
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict: “There is no need that we
agree with the RA authorities around every issue, but it is
unequivocal that our interests coincide, and we reach an agreement as
a result of discussions on any theme.” As for the information appeared
in the press about holding a referendum in the NKR, return of
territories, possibility of Azeri refugees’ return, Arman Melikian
stated that just the Azeri sources are the reason of such “leakages”:
“Those are usually news from unknown sources, we can not affirm them.”
According to the NKR Foreign Minister, today there is one issue that
the Co-Chairmen and the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan attempt
to solve: that is the necessity of the creation of a “negotiation
atmosphere.” “Other issues will be discussed only after that, it is
very important to reach such an atmosphere as it is impossible to lead
negotiations and reach an agreement without it. It is another case
that positions of the parties are significantly differrent,” Arman
Melikian stated. As for the distribution of peace-keepers on the
conflict zone, he mentioned that Nagorno Karabakh prefers to provide
security itself and prefers not to see foreign forces in which there
is no necessity.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress