INDEPENDENCE – UPPERMOST VALUE FOR KARABAKH

AZG Armenian Daily
17/07/2008

Karabakh issue

NKR Foreign Minister Georgi Metrosian at the request of the journalists
commented on the theme of settlement of Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict
based on principles of provision for territorial integrity and border
inviolability. The theme had also its reflection on the declaration
of friendship and military cooperation signed between Russia and
Azerbaijan.

"NKR proclaimed its independence strictly following the international
norms and the valid legislation of the USSR which heir is the present
Russian Federation.

It is impossible to turn back both the history and the time. The
Azerbaijani leaders’ efforts to restore the "borders" demarcated by
the Stalin regime only increase the tension in the Karabakh issue
and may only deepen the conflict.

At the end of the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s, the
international community recognized the results of the Azerbaijani
"referendum", in which by the way the Karabakh population did not
participate. But the same community refused to recognize the results
of a similar referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh though it was held
before the Azerbaijani "referendum".

Similar attitude of the international community encouraged the
Azerbaijani pretentiousness to Nagorno Karabakh and was the reason
for the Azerbaijani aggression against the population of Karabakh.

It is not once that we have announced – any attempt to return Karabakh
and its population to the past with this limiting their freedom is
inefficient and doomed to failure.

Independence has uppermost value for Karabakh and we are not going to
renounce it. We presume that the responsible international community
is fully aware of this", said Georgi Petrosian.