PRESIDENT SAYS IT IS OUR INTERNAL PROBLEM
Norair Hovsepian
Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
14 Dec 2006
On December 11 soon after the release of the preliminary results of
the referendum on NKR Constitution NKR President Arkady Ghukassian
met with the observers and reporters. "Today we are happy to announce
that the majority voted for the NKR Constitution, and I congratulate
everyone," said Arkady Ghukassian, and thanked everyone for their
work. "The results of the referendum impress.
About 98.6 percent said yes. This fact shows that the establishment
of an independent and sovereign state in Karabakh is irreversible,"
he said. "The adoption of the Constitution is not an end in itself,"
stressed Arkady Ghukassian, assuring that since the declaration
of independence the country has not only managed to overcome the
consequences of the war imposed by Azerbaijan but also went ahead of
this country by achievements of democratization of the society. In
answer to the question if Artsakh needs a constitution, and if it can
be helpful for the development of the country, Arkady Ghukassian said,
" The Constitution is the summary of our achievements after becoming
independent.
I think it is a very important step on the track for reinforcing
statehood and democratization." In addition, it helps to be more
flexible in solving both internal and external problems. "People who
have a balanced Constitution and uphold the European values stand a
good chance to be recognized by the international community rather
than a totalitarian country," said Arkady Ghukassian assuring that
if Azerbaijan had a document like the constitution of Artsakh, the
question would be solved more quickly and easily. Azerbaijan rejects
the fact that the constitution was adopted by referendum, and in this
connection the president said there is no reason why the international
community should accept this stance. The reporters reminded that
the president had promised to make efforts for the adoption of the
basic law of the country before he leaves office. Arkady Ghukassian
said he considered it as one of his important goals. With regard to
current problems requiring solution, he assured that there are many
such problems, and he would make sufficient efforts to solve them by
the end of his office. The guests who had arrived in NKR on the eve
of the referendum wanted to know about the preparations and debates on
the draft constitution. President Ghukassian pointed out transparency,
freedom of expression of opinion and proposals for all the citizens
of NKR. He also emphasized the contribution of the political forces
and generally the citizens in improving the draft. The next question
was if the provisions of the constitution will be brought into being
successfully. "In fact, the adoption of the constitution is not a
solution of problems, but by adopting it we have a new possibility for
democratization of the country," Ghukassian agreed. According to him,
this is a lasting process, which is facilitated by a constitution. "By
adopting a constitution we solved a very important problem: there is
no important issue for NKR which can be solved without taking into
account the opinion of people," said the head of state. In connection
with the settlement of the conflict, the president said Artsakh is the
most interested party but the existing circumstances do not enable
it to set up relations with different countries and international
organizations. "However, this is not a unilateral process. The stance
of the Azerbaijani leadership is not constructive, which would
facilitate the settlement. The problem can be settled if there is
mutual confidence, which lacks now," said the president. In connection
with the influence of the Constitution on the talks, the head of state
assured that "it fits the process mediated by the Minsk Group", and
expressed his surprise why Azerbaijan had a negative attitude towards
the referendum in NKR from the very beginning. "This means that we
may hardly reach agreement in this situation because if Azerbaijan
does not accept the right of NKR to live as it wants, we cannot agree
on any other question. Azerbaijan has to accept the right of NKR to
live the way it chooses. Adopting or not adopting a constitution
is our problem. We do not interfere with the internal problems of
Azerbaijan. We have much to say about the Azerbaijani constitution
and laws. But this is their choice. Azerbaijan should do the same in
connection with Nagorno Karabakh." In answer to the question whether
the constitution will help NKR to become involved in the talks,
the president said: "The participation of NKR is necessary for the
process rather than us because otherwise it is impossible to settle
this issue. The mediators, Armenia and Azerbaijan acknowledge this,
and we too. The fact that Karabakh is not participating in the talks
means that Azerbaijan is not ready for the settlement of the problem."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress