SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT: WE ARE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR TWO NATIONAL IDENTITIES AND OUR PEOPLE

arminfo
2008-04-19 17:02:00

ArmInfo. "Unlike Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia doesn’t encroach
upon Nagorno-Karabakh people’s right to self-determination", Speaker of
the Armenian National Assembly Tigran Torosyan said after the sitting
of the Commission for Karabakh-Armenia Inter-parliamentary Cooperation.

As ArmInfo own correspondent in Stepanakert reports, Torosyan said
that the declaration about the key principles of the international law
states that the self-determining people may choose one of the three
possible variants of self-determination: separating itself and joining
another country, separating itself and proclaiming its independence,
or some other political status that the people will choose of their
own free will.

"In this context, one of the big concessions to Azerbaijan made by the
Nagorno-Karabakh people is proclamation of independent statehood. And
we respect this concession", Torosyan said.

He added that the implementation of the right to self-determination
by Karabakh people was irreproachable, "and one can find no other
similar example in the world history, at least in the period when the
right to self-determination was proclaimed the international law’s
standard having the highest status".

Asked about recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by the
Republic of Armenia, Tigran Torosyan said: "The recognition of the
NKR by Armenia is not a problem. This can be done at any moment.

However, this shouldn’t become a one-time action. We’ll make the
relevant step at a well-chosen moment".

According to Torosyan, the present possibilities of Armenia "are
incommensurable with those the country had in the late 80s early
90s". "We are able to protect our two national identities and our
people", Torosyan said in conclusion.