Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
April 28, 2006 Friday 7:18 PM MSK

Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan – Armenian minister (Part 2)

STEPANAKERT April 28

Nagorno-Karabakh will never be a part of Azerbaijan, said Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

“I don’t know what status the Nagorno-Karabakh republic will have,
but I know for sure what it will not be, namely, Nagorno-Karabakh
will never be within Azerbaijan. This is absolutely impossible,”
Oskanian said speaking at the Nagorno-Karabakh State University in
Stepanakert.

Oskanian is on a working visit to Stepanakert to hold consultations
with the leadership of the self-proclaimed republic.

“The wheel of history cannot be turned backwards, and all that
Azerbaijan is saying about granting Nagorno-Karabakh a highest
possible level of autonomy within its borders should not be taken
seriously,” he said.

The Armenian diplomatic corps sees its task in ensuring international
recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, although this is
“quite a difficult problem,” Oskanian said.

The foreign minister also called the creation of a comprehensive
security system for the Armenian people an important component of
Armenia’s foreign policy. In this context, he particularly mentioned
strategic partnership with Russia, with which Armenia has a bilateral
agreement on mutual assistance in case of aggression against either
party.

Talking about possible compromises that Armenia could agree to in the
negotiations on settling the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, Oskanian
said “no concessions can be made” as regards Nagorno-Karabakh’s
sovereignty, security, and permanent land communication with Armenia.

Armenia is open to discussing any other issues concerning the
consequences of the conflict on condition that Azerbaijan recognizes
the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to self-determination, Oskanian
said.

The only reason why Nagorno-Karabakh is not involved in the
negotiating process between Baku and Yerevan is Azerbaijan’s refusal
to maintain dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh, the minister said.

Nagorno-Karabakh is formally a province of Azerbaijan populated
mostly by ethnic Armenians, control over which Baku lost in a bloody
conflict with Yerevan in the 1990s.