Karabakh aims to draw up “acceptable” settlement principles – MP

Aravot, Yerevan
20 Apr 06

The purpose of the Karabakh hearings organized by the parliament of
the Nagornyy Karabakh republic (NKR) is to agree on conflict settlement
principles acceptable to the NKR, the head of the parliament’s foreign
relations commission, Vagram Atanesyan, has said.

“Our purpose is to unify positions existing in the parliament on
principles which are acceptable for us to move the Karabakh negotiating
process forward,” Atanesyan said in an interview with the Armenian
newspaper Aravot on 20 April.

He said that the Karabakh parliament will not ask Armenia to give up
its place in the talks with Azerbaijan in favour of the NKR. “I do
not think that at present we should prompt Armenia at the level of
the NKR parliament. We shall present our position,” he said.

He went on to say that the parliament will issue a statement following
the hearings, but denied the parliament’s plans to influence the
negotiating process.