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"ARMENIA SHOULD NOT CARRY NEGOTIATIONS WITHOUT NKR"
[04:59 pm] 14 January, 2008

Nagorno-Karabakh is ahead of Kosovo with regard to
the grounds for self-determination, `Heritage’ Party
member Stepan Safarian and the leader of the National
Democratic Party (AZhK) Shavarsh Kocharian shared the
opinion during a press conference on January 14. The
AZhK leader reminded that NKR had shown a will to
become independent by a referendum which met the USSR
legislation and constitution.

And although the legal warrants for the recognition of
Karabakh’s independence are well-grounded, the West
tends to recognise Kosovo’s independence. Stepan
Safarian says the reason for this stance is Kosovo’s
geographical location: the country lies in the heart
of Europe.

Shavarsh Kocharian pointed out another important
factor as well. Karabakh established a cease-fire and
straightened out its matters on its own while the West
supported Kosovo in everything.

`Besides, NKR is more democratic than Azerbaijan. But
things differ in view of Kosovo, Serbia is more
democratic than Kosovo.’

And yet, despite the existing legal grounds, the
Karabakh conflict is still viewed as a regional
dispute while that of Kosovo as a struggle for
self-determination.

`The reasons are far deeper,’ the AZhK leader says.

`Armenia’s next president should not negotiate with
Azerbaijan unless Nagorno-Karabakh is involved in the
negotiations,’ Shavarsh Kocharian announced today.

According to Stepan Safarian, the Prague process on
the Karabakh conflict which started in 2004 is coming
to an end because Robert Kocharian, one of the
participants of the talks, is leaving office soon, and
the Co-Chairs cannot see a guarantee for the
effectiveness of the process. Stepan Safarian says
currently a modified option of the phase solution of
1998 is negotiated.

According to Shavarsh Kocharian Karabakh’s
participation in the talks as a full-right party is
the first guarantee for effectiveness of the talks.
The notions of stage-by-stage and package solutions
are conventional and often mislead the public, whereas
it is necessary to clarify the basic issues. Shavarsh
Kocharian thinks Armenia must act as a guarantor for
the security of Karabakh but the country has no right
to discuss Karabakh’s status or territories instead of
NKR.

Armenia’s government should not discuss whose option
is more favorable or who will surrender more or less
territories but should employ the basic approach that
Karabakh is a conflicting side. Albania never
negotiated instead of Kosovo.

Stepan Safarian shares this stance and thinks that
Armenia’s role in the talks should be limited, and
Karabakh must be a full-fledged party of the talks.

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian needn’t refrain from
deciphering the proposed variant. The Co-chairs have
urged the sides to decipher the variant and to prepare
the peoples for the conflict settlement since 2006.