USA Trying Deprive Nagorno-Karabakh of Principal Guarantor Of Settlement
YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. By equating the state of democracy in Armenia
and Azerbaijan, the US Department of State is trying to deprive
Nagorno-Karabakh of the principal guarantor of settlement, Armen
Ashotyan, Board member, Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), stated at
the Novosti international press center, commenting on the US Department
of State’s report on human rights issued on May 23.
According to the US Department of State, the February presidential
election in Armenia were held with certain faults, particularly
advantageous positions of the Establishment candidate, election bribes,
intimidation, violence against opposition members of election
commissions.
`The report by US Department of State actually equates the democratic
situation in Armenia with that in Azerbaijan, which makes the
diplomatic and political implication obvious. It is an attempt to strip
the Armenian side of the chance of using the factor of democracy in the
discussions of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,’ Ashotyan said.
The parliamentarian pointed out that one of the arguments put forward
by the Armenian side is that Nagorno-Karabakh has a higher-level
democratic system `that another state laying claims to extebnding its
power to these territories.’
`This is one of the diplomatic tasks accomplished by means of the
report, as it is an attempt to deprive the NKR of the second principal
guarantor of settlement after the army,’ Ashotyan said.
He pointed out that it was not just to please official Baku that
Armenia and Azerbaijan were equated.
`Azerbaijan expects certain dividends from the USA for its oil
resources, particularly rights to the NKR,’ Ashotyan said.
According to him, the reason for this approach is the neutralization of
Baku’s possible influence on Washington’s stance and the USA’s
exclusive interests in the region. Ashotyan expressed the opinion that
Armenia’s authorities will properly respond to the report at both the
diplomatic and top levels.
Since 1992, negotiations for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict have been conducted within the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by
the USA, Russia and France.-0-