HAYK S. KOTANJIAN: AZERBAIJAN IS LOSING THE SENSE OF REALITY
armradio.am
20.03.2008 16:54
The press-centre of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia
interviewed the Head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies
of the Ministry of Defense, Doctor of Political Sciences, Major-General
Hayk S. Kotanjian requesting to evaluate the situation evolving after
the adoption of the UN GA Resolution on Nagorno Karabakh, Press
Secretary of the Minister of Defense, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan
informed.
Asked what are the objectives pursued in the statement by the Deputy
Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan claiming that "the status
of Nagorno Karabakh is not a target of the OSCE Minsk Group and a topic
of discussion with Armenia," Mr. Kotanjian said: The Azeri authorities
undertook to address a task which is quite obviously beyond their
sole competence. By their actions the Azerbaijani authorities are
trying to persuade the international community that the application
of common principle of respect towards the Armenians of Karabakh
based on the human rights and freedoms registered in the UN Charter
as a universal norm is purely their own internal business. They aim
at disavowing the OSCE Minsk Group and removing Russia, the US and
France from the group in connection with their systemic approaches
to the application of the norms and principles of International law
on the Karabakh Problem resolution.
What is underlying suchlike position of Azerbaijan? The Major-General
responded that the essence is that the Baku politicians are trying
to impose their own opportunistic-local interpretation of the
International law concerning the settlement and resolution of
the Karabakh Problem. "And they are doing it with presumption of
"lawmakers and indisputable interpreters" of international law not
only domestically but also before the international auditoria. The
head of the neighboring state, as well as the FA officials in their
statements on the Baku authorities’ commitments to the conflict
resolution in "strict conformity with the international law",
persistently parallel this very conformity with only one of the
common norms of the International lawï~@the principle of territorial
integrity and ignoring the other norms applied when dealing with the
problems like that of Karabakh. In this context the ignorance of the
principle of peoples’ equality and their right to self-determination
is of strictly manipulative nature. This unilateral approach by Baku
to the norms of International law cannot be of serious influence upon
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ expert position."
What are the commitments of the states, by example of Azerbaijan, in
compliance with the norms and standards of the International law in
the system of the national law? "Azerbaijani official establishment
announces that "the Karabakh status problem can be resolved only
on the basis of the internal legislation of Azerbaijan" and the
activities of the Minsk Group, in consultations with the conflict
sides on the status, are allegedly an intrusion into the domestic
affairs of Azerbaijan.
A symptomatic illustration appears to be the incompatibility of the
Republic of Azerbaijan’s Constitution with the essence of international
legal norm on the principle and right of nations to master their fate
independently by means of free expression of popular will in conditions
of complete freedom, stipulated by the UN Charter and International
Covenants on Human Rights of 1966. As it is known, these documents
in the international relations system are treaties consolidating the
states’ commitment to adhere to and respect universally recognized
fundamental principles and norms of the International law, first and
foremost – human rights and freedoms. It concerns those principles
of the International law, which comprise its most stable kernel and
are a universal criterion to evaluate legitimacy of states’ conduct,"
Major General Hayk S. Kotanjian responded.
Evaluating the conformity of Azerbaijan’s conduct with its
international commitments concerning the Karabakh settlement,
Mr. Kotanjian said: "The norm of the Azerbaijan’s Constitution "on
change of territory by holding a referendum among all the Azerbaijani
population" contradicts the other norm of the same document, defined
in the article "The ultimate goal of the state". In accordance
with the given definition "human and citizen rights and freedoms,
enumerated in the present Constitution are employed in conformity with
the international treaties, which are supported by the Republic of
Azerbaijan". In this case the above mentioned international treaties
should be touched upon.
Thus the assertions of the Azerbaijani authorities on their adherence
to the international law in the Karabakh conflict resolution
don’t correspond to reality. The conduct of Azerbaijan in terms of
consistent reflection of universally accepted principles and norms of
the International law in the Constitution, as well as in the Karabakh
conflict settlement practice, doesn’t correspond to the international
legitimacy criterion."
Commenting on the position of the Minsk Group which voted against
the UN Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh the Head of the Institute
for National Strategic Studies noted: "Judging from the official
statements made by Russia, the USA and France before and afterwards
of the General Assembly, they voted against the resolution, because
the Azerbaijan’s project contradicted, firstly, the common fundamental
principles and norms of the International law, as well as the criterion
of the international legitimacy of their application. Secondly, the
conduct of Azerbaijan does not coincide with the balanced approach of
the Minsk Group which endorses the solution of the Karabakh conflict
within the system of the International relations. 100 abstained members
of the UN virtually demonstrated their understanding of the balanced
position of Russia, the USA and France.
Which was the driving force of those 39 members of the UN,
which voted for the resolution? "The mentioned states, mainly
representing the Organization of Islamic Conference and the GUAM,
backed the Azerbaijan’s initiative from the position, which was more
characteristic to the period of the Cold War, i.e. on the principle
of bloc solidarity," Hayk S. Kotanjian said.
Due to the results of the voting, Azerbaijan threatens to review
its policy on Russia, the USA and France. How to elaborate the
disrespectful position of Azerbaijan to the contribution of the Minsk
Group in the process of the peaceful solution and the ferociousness of
Baku vis-a-vis Russia, France and the USA? "Azerbaijan perceives the
designated to her role in the European Energy policy as a "historical"
mission of geo-economic and geo-strategic importance to compete
with Russia. Playing on the strategic interests of the EU, the USA,
Russia, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia, Baku is trying to at most
bid for highest stakes in this way to use this resource for illegal
forcing through its interests in the Karabakh settlement. In pursuit of
these purposes Azerbaijan will now allow itself to blackmail Russia,
the USA, France and the Minsk Group on the whole. According to many
international observers Azerbaijan is losing the sense of reality,"
Major-General Hayk S. Kotanjian concluded.
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