PRIME MINISTER DANIELIAN MET DELEGATION FROM GERMANY

Azat Artsakh Daily, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
NKR Government Press Service
21 May 07

On May 17 NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian met the German
delegation including German politicians, representatives of NGOs and
businessmen, as well as reporters of influential media of the country
visiting Artsakh. The director of the European Academy of Berlin
Dr. Eckhart Strattenschulte heads the delegation. The prime minister
welcomed the initiative and underlined the importance of this meeting
with the country’s government and non-governmental organizations,
especially that the international recognition of NKR is on the agenda,
and mutual visits and contact may be fruitful. Anushavan Danielian
said the German delegation will manage to get enough information on
the Karabakh issue, the ongoing political developments and the social
and economic state and wished them good luck in their mission. The
head of the delegation thanked for the warm welcome and shared
their impressions from their visit to Nagorno-Karabakh and meetings
with the country’s leadership, the foreign ministry, the NGOs and
people. At the request of the guests the prime minister answered their
questions. Namely, he touched upon the recent foreign investments in
Nagorno-Karabakh fostered by the tax reforms. Anushavan Danielian said
unfortunately the country cannot cooperate with international donors
because it is not recognized, otherwise new possibilities would open
up for the economic development of NKR. One of the German reporters
wondered why the claim of a part of a nation to unite with the other
part is neglected if there is a principle of self-determination of
nations, why Azerbaijan bombed the peaceful population of Stepanakert
if there are civilized ways of settlement of the problem.

The reporter said this referring to the fact of demolition of the
wall in Berlin, which marked the unification of two parts of the same
nation. "In that case Moscow (the Kremlin) welcomed the demolition of
the wall of Berlin, whereas the claim for the unification of Armenia
and Artsakh was accepted with a mysterious, even dangerous silence,
which authorized Azerbaijanis to attack the people of Nagorno-Karabakh
and destroy the country," said Anushavan Danielian. "Fortunately, our
freedom fighters defeated the foe and won the war, though the sacrifice
was great." At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Anushavan
Danielian and the head of the delegation Eckhart Strattenschulte
exchanged souvenirs.