"WE SHOULD RECEIVE RIGHT FOR FINAL MANIFESTATION OF SELF-DETERMINATION OF NKR PEOPLE," VARDAN OSKANIAN MENTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 25 the "Tolerance
and Xenophobia in South Caucasian Region" international conference
dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Sumgait massacres started
its proceedings in Yerevan on February 25. It was organized on the
initiative of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Museum-Institute
of the Armenian Genocide and the Yerevan State University. Political
scientists, historians from Armenia, Russia and Great Britain are
taking part in the conference.

As RA Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned, the subject of the
conference is present-day both in regional and global terms. According
to him, the discussion is being held on Armenian, regional and global
planes. "I say Armenian plane with sorrow as I did not imagine that
such a situation is possible to be created inside our country and that
different parts of our society will not tolerate each other in any
way," the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned. In the estimation of
Vardan Oskanian, unfortunately, not ideas but individuals with hatred
and intolerance clashed during the presidential campaign. Whereas,
according to him, the Karabakh issue is not settled as yet. "And
under the conditions of such challenges no one has a right to split
our society," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

In the estimation of Vardan Oskanian, today the problem of Nagorno
Karabakh is set in front of us, the basis of which are the Sumgait
events but for which the developments of the Karabakh issue will
receive quite another shade.

Touching upon the Kosovo problem, Vardan Oskanian mentioned that
if the international community unanimously accepts the independence
of Kosovo and makes impossible the return to its former status quo,
the return of Karabakh to the former status quo in the structure of
Azerbaijan is also excluded.

"If there is any precedent, we should be able to introduce it to the
international community in public, so as we receive a complete legal
right for a final manifestation of the self-determination of the NKR
people," Vardan Oskanian mentioned.