NKR HAS SAME RIGHTS AS AZERBAIJAN
By Karine Mangasarian
Yerkir.am
December 01, 2006
"The final settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should not
decrease the current security guarantees but should increase them,"
Armen Rustamian, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Body
representative and National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Committee,
said on November 30.
"Azerbaijan keep saying, ‘those territories are mine, give them back,’
we say, ‘the territorial demands are mutual.’ They speak about 20
percent of their territory — it’s not true, it’s only 13 percent —
and today, 20 percent of the NKR is under Azerbaijani occupation,
including Martakert, Martuni, Shahumian and others."
He said that should the Armenian side speak from the same position,
then we may speak of two equal states formed on the territory of the
Azerbaijani Soviet Republic, and NKR would have the same rights to
speak about its rights as Azerbaijan does.
Only after a final settlement package is on the table and everybody
has a chance to know what is in there, only then would it be possible
to say if the settlement was fair or not, Rustamian said, once again
pointing to the necessity of a package settlement, as only in that
case the settlement would be final and full.
Rustamian was asked to comment on a statement by the president, who
had said he was ready to return all the territories except for the
Lachin corridor if Karabakh’s status is clearly defined.
"We have explicitly expressed our position," Rustamian
replied. "Earlier this year, the Foreign Relations Committee has
adopted a document containing detailed descriptions of the ways and
essence of the settlement process.
There are several assertions that if accepted, then we deem the
process acceptable. If there is a shift from those principles,
then the process would not be acceptable to us, regardless who is
the president today and who is engaged in the negotiations. We have
clearly said that the issue should be resolved based on the principle
of the right of nations to self-determination."
Rustamian added that the self-determination principle is the main
direction of the talks, and "we should reach our goal, which is to
fully implement the self-determination right, which has to addressees –
the international community and Azerbaijan."
"And because it proves unproductive to talk about that principle with
Azerbaijan, we have to work toward the international community."
He compared the situation with the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. If Turkey recognizes it, the issue will be resolved,
but since it does not, we have to have the international community
condemn it. We see that mounting pressure every day, Rustamian said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
