Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Sept 20 2005

PARTICIPATION OF NKR IS ESSENTIAL

`The participation of Karabakh in the talks is not an end in itself.
We will take part in the talks; there are prospects that they will
prove effective. Considering the standpoint of the Azerbaijani
authorities, I cannot see such prospects at the moment,’ said the
foreign minister of NKR Arman Melikian at the press conference at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 16. `Political circles in
Armenia imply that in the upcoming stages of the peace talks Russia
will come up with initiatives. How realistic are these forecasts and,
generally, is the standpoint of Russia on the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict favourable for the Armenian party?’ `In this or
that stage of the talks for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict
the interested parties are always lively, however the resolution of
the issue is never reached. What is the current situation in the
talks like?’ In answer to these questions of the reporter of Azat
Artsakh the foreign minister said that any step forward is
commendable and today there already exists a formed format of
negotiations in which Russia has also been involved. `If Russia
wishes or insists on the participation of NKR as a party in the
talks, our attitude towards this approach will be positive,’ he said.
As to the settlement of the issue, according to Arman Melikian it is
not probable in the near future because reaching a resolution
requires a long time. In connection with the report of the
International Crisis Group the foreign minister said already certain
approaches have been formed. `The authors of the report also think
that the report was intended to assist to the peace process and will
probably be used by the OSCE Minsk Group mediators and other
organizations. There are principles in the report, which absolutely
contradict to our approach but there are also others which we
consider objective and practical. In my opinion, we have no right to
underrate the role of the report and will attend to it absolutely
seriously. After a thorough study we will present our written
interpretation which must be rather lengthy,’ said the foreign
minister, In answer to the question of the reporter of Liberty
concerning the meeting in Paris, Arman Melikian said that the meeting
in Paris was intended to sum up all the existing opinions on the
talks. According to him, the representatives of different European
organizations closely related to the NKR issue took part in the
discussions. In fact, different organizations seem to have become
aware of the fact that without the direct involvement of NKR it will
be very difficult to seek for ways of resolution. The foreign
minister informed that at the recent meeting the NKR National
Assembly enacted a number of laws referring to foreign policies,
including the law on international agreements. In his opinion it will
become a fundamental document underlying the establishment of
official relationships between NKR and other countries. `We also
intend to join a number of conventions. Therefore it is necessary to
overcome certain inner legislative controversies,’ said A. Melikian,
adding that besides the work to be done in the internal legislative
environment the main task is to set up direct relations with the
representatives of different countries. He stated that at the moment
he is not authorized to give any information about these relations,
taking into account the possibility of a negative reaction abroad.
`Hopefully, the international recognition of NKR will be achieved in
the near future,’ said the foreign minister of NKR. Once again
touching upon the report of the International Crisis Group, it was
said that the authors of the report pointed out that Armenia had not
occupied any area of Azerbaijan. It is emphasized in the report that
the armed forces in the territory of NKR are subject to the NKR
authorities. As to the confidentiality of the talks and the principle
expressed in the report of ICG, according to the minister, the
governments of the parties should try to prepare their peoples,
offering them some model of resolution of the issue; however, since
the resolution is has not been outlined yet, it is too early to talk
business. `The worst thing about the negotiations is that they speak
about the Azerbaijani refugees and only occasionally mention the
Armenian refugees from Shahumian or Getashen; but they never remember
about the huge number of people who were compelled to leave
Azerbaijan. The issue of refugees should not be biased. The principle
of equivalence should underlie the talks,’ said Arman Melikian. In
connection with the upcoming parliamentary election in Azerbaijan the
foreign minister mentioned that the possible change of the power may
bring about inner disorders in Azerbaijan, which may threaten our
borders as well. `To be honest, I see no prerequisites for such
changes in Azerbaijan,’ he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress