Nagorno Karabakh FM: Granting autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh is out of Baku competence

Regnum, Russia
June 22 2006

Recently, Azerbaijani Republic FM Elmar Mammadyarov claimed readiness
to grant Nagorno Karabakh the highest status of autonomy adopted in
the world, including the one equal to Tatarstan’s status within the
Russian Federation.

Nagorno Karabakh Republic FM Georgy Petrosyan commented on the issue,
REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert reported.

"The statement, unless it is another propagandistic ploy, means
that the Azerbaijani leadership is ready for their country’s
federalization. From this viewpoint, one would hope that the
above-mentioned status will be granted to Lezgins, Talyshes, and
other nations residing in Azerbaijan. As for the NKR, with which the
Azerbaijani leadership avoids any contacts, it should be underscored
that official Baku cannot grant any status to Nagorno Karabakh, as the
issue is out of Azerbaijan’s competence. Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s
status is determined within the legal framework by the nation residing
here. The essence of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is that the
Azerbaijani party failed to resolve issues of the kind and resorted
to armed aggression."

"Official Baku continues to ignore the reality where the NKR’s
independence is the greatest value of the Republic’s people that
has been declared at a nation-wide referendum on state independence
December 10, 1991. The NKR people not only protected their right to
be in charge of their own fate in the course of the imposed war, but,
for the last 15 years, at least 7 times reaffirmed their will via
democratic nation-wide presidential and parliamentary elections, when
they voted for programs of both individual candidates and political
parties that spoke up for the Republic’s state independence."