EXPERTS SAY AZERBAIJAN IS AN "ILLEGITIMATE"

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 8 2006

The Republic of Azerbaijan has reached today’s status quite illegally,
violating all the norms of international and Soviet law.

Contrary to this, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic has declared its
independence in compliance with international and Soviet law.

Therefore, the solution to the Karabakh conflict should be searched
for only in the frames of international, and the settlement process
should be transferred to the legal field. Political scientist
Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan and lawyer Ashot Khachatryan expressed
the above-mentioned opinion in the Russian-language "The Nagorno
Karabakh Republic in the Light of International Law." According to
the authors, those in Azerbaijan understand pretty well that from the
legal perspective their positions are very shaky, therefore they do
everything to keep the resolution of the issue on the political layer.

"When seceding from the USSR, Azerbaijan violated the laws of that
country. Particularly, it did not follow the law on "The rules of
seceding from the USSR," which says that the Republic having autonomies
and regions, must hold separate referendums in every autonomy, and in
those regions where ethnic groups comprise majority, results of the
referendum are considered separately," the authors mention, adding
that according to Article 15 of the same law, USSR citizens residing
on the territory of a country seceding from the USSR are granted
citizenship and the right of choosing the place of residence and job.

It is mentioned in the law that the USSR and the seceding Republic
should come to an agreement on the status of territories, which did
not belong to the given Republic at the moment of entering the USSR."

"The given provision directly refers to the Armenian autonomous regions
of Utik, Artsakh, as well as Nakhijevan regions. "Illegally born"
Azerbaijan illegally annexed these territories, since before Azerbaijan
entered the Soviet Union on April 28, 1920 the above-mentioned
territories did not comprise part of its land.

Moreover, severely violating the USSR Law on "Self-determination of
nations" and ignoring the civil and ethnic group rights, on August
30, 1991 the Soviet Socialistic Republic of Azerbaijan unilaterally
declared its independence," noted Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan and Ashot
Khachatryan.

Today three questions should be posed when discussing the Karabakh
issue: What to give? Whom to give? Why give? The authors note that
Armenia is required to give lands not belonging to any of the sides.

Concession of lands will mean inclusion of Armenian Utik and Artsakh
States within Azerbaijan.