NKR FOREIGN MINISTER PETROSSIAN’S STATEMENT

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
26 June 2006

Recently the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammedyarov has
announced about their willingness to grant the highest degree of
sovereignty to Nagorno Karabakh, applying the model of Tatarstan
to Karabakh. With regard to this the foreign minister of NKR Georgy
Petrossian made a statement: "This statement, if it is not another
propaganda device, means, in fact, that the Azerbaijani government
is likely to transform into a federation. Hence, hopefully, the same
status will be granted to the Lezgis, the Talish and other peoples
living in Azerbaijan. For NKR, the Azerbaijani government avoids
contact with NKR, and it should be emphasized that official Baku
cannot grant a status to Nagorno Karabakh, because this is beyond its
jurisdiction. The people living here decided the status of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic in conformity with the law.

The essence of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict is that the
Azerbaijani party was unable to solve these problems in a civilized way
and resorted to an armed aggression. Official Baku ignores the reality
that the independence of NKR is the highest value of the people of the
republic, which was established by the universal referendum, held on
December 10, 1991. The people of NKR defended their right to decide
their fate. Moreover, for over 7 times in the past 15 years restated
their will through democratic presidential and parliamentary elections
in NKR, when the voters voted for the programs of separate candidates
and political parties, upholding the independence of the republic."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress