PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
27 April 2006

On April 21 parliamentary hearings entitled “The Karabakh Problem:
Prospects of Settlement” were held for the first time in NKR.
Independent from what responses from the international community the
proposals on the Karabakh problem voiced in the parliament and the
conclusion based on the statements of the parliamentary factions and
groups will receive, the debates were an opportunity to bring together
the political forces and NGOs to express their standpoint freely.

Although the approaches of the NKR NGOs were definitely different,
they had a common opinion on principal points. The concern about the
fate of the Karabakh people was outlined in the statements of
speakers. The approaches of the representatives of political forces
were similar with regard to the recognition of the right for
self-determination of the people of Karabakh and the engagement of
Karabakh in the negotiations. NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosyan
said currently proposals are offered during the negotiations, which
suggest efforts for eradication of the consequences of the war rather
than the settlement of the conflict based on the rights of the people
of Karabakh.

According to the foreign minister, the aspirations and interests of
great powers are clearly outlined in the region. He is convinced that
the mediators are trying to push Azerbaijan to make concessions to
settle the issue in the framework of territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, and the Armenian party to accept greater compromises. This
is a circumstance, which shifts the settlement of the problem to the
military plane. Emphasizing the importance of working out a clear
concept by the Armenian party to reach the international recognition
of NKR, Armen Rustamyan, Chair of the Committee of External Relations
of the Armenian National Assembly, said, “We should enable the
international community to discern the non-constructive standpoint of
Azerbaijan,” emphasizing the importance of moving the international
community to a level of positive neutrality. Armen Sargissian, the
head of the parliamentary group ARF-Movement 88 of the NKR National
Assembly, emphasized the importance of recognizing NKR as a full-right
party in the settlement process. “Nagorno Karabakh is a subject of the
talks, not an object. The engagement of Karabakh is necessary, and
Armenia should act as a guarantor of the rights of NKR and promote its
international recognition,” said Armen Sargissian, emphasizing the
building of a democratic state with all its institutions as part of
the strategic plan.

Member of Parliament Arthur Tovmassian, Hayrenik Party of NKR, says
the calls of Azerbaijan for a military and political change are caused
by the lack of confidence between the parties. He thinks that the
potential of Armenians all over the world should be used for the
settlement of the Karabakh problem, both parties should be invited to
organize various meetings for the settlement of the issue, using all
the possibilities of democratic diplomacy. “It is not something new
that Azerbaijan has greater economic resources, but economically
powerful does not necessarily mean strong and effective. I think
Azerbaijan will lose more territories in case it wages a new war,”
said Arthur Tovmassian.

Emphasizing the importance of working out a common concept as a
result of the parliamentary debates, Vahram Atanessian, the head of
the NKR National Assembly Faction of Democracy, said the involved
parties should be concerned about the militaristic calls, statements
about territorial integrity and proclaiming of a murderer Man of the
Year; in this context the international community should give an
adequate assessment. Vahram Atanessian believes that it is possible to
undertake elimination of the consequences of the war only after the
international recognition of NKR. Hrant Melkumyan, the leader of the
Communist Party, said the return of liberated territories, Azerbaijani
refugees and deployment of peacemaking forces in the region are
unacceptable. The deputy leader of the Movement 88 Party Gegham
Baghdasaryan said the format of the talks between Armenia and
Azerbaijan has distorted the essence and status of the conflict over
Nagorno Karabakh. “It is not a secret that in the course of years
Nagorno Karabakh was forced out of the talks. Moreover, it has become
an object while it used to be a subject,” he said. The chair of the
NKR NA Social Committee Arpat Avanessian asked the chair of the RA NA
Committee of External Relations Armen Rustamian, “Are you aware of the
deeper nuances of the presently ongoing negotiations and to comment on
Mr. Oskanian’s statements about compromises.” Armen Rustamian assured
that the information he gets during the consultations with the
president and foreign minister of Armenia is enough to form a full
picture of the talks. For the statements of the Armenian foreign
minister (particularly, after the talks in Rambouillet), it was
mentioned that Azerbaijan’s standpoint on two principle questions
(namely, the status of NKR and guarantees of security) is not
flexible, and Armen Rustamian believes Azerbaijan will hardly
recognize the right for self-determination of the people of
Karabakh. In answer to the Armenian Member of Parliament Hmayak
Hovanissian whether NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian possesses
enough information about the process of settlement, Georgy Petrossian
assured that sufficient information on the talks is acquired through
various channels. At the same time, he emphasized that unlike the
political forces of Armenia, the political parties of NKR do not
interfere with the internal political affairs of Armenia and have
always displayed an adequate and interested approach with regard to
the settlement of the Karabakh issue. In conclusion, the chair of the
NKR NA Committee of External Relations Vahram Atanessian published a
document based on the joint statements of the groups and factions of
the NKR National Assembly, which says, “The groups and factions of the
NKR National Assembly define the Karabakh-Azerbaijani armed
confrontation of 1991-1994 as Azerbaijani aggression against
proclaimed NKR, the actions of Nagorno Karabakh as an application of
the indivisible right of people for self-defence under Article 51 of
the UN Conventions, and the current reality in the conflict area as
the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression. The recognition of
democratic NKR will become an important factor of regional stability
and security.”

NVARD OHANJANIAN.
27-04-2006

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress