VUQAR SEIDOV: "INTERNATIONAL LAW SETS REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT FOR SELF-DETERMINATION IN DIRECT DEPENDENCE ON THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF A STATE"

Today.Az
July 25 2008
Azerbaijan

The principle of national right for self-determination is absolutely
inapplicable in case of Nagorno Karabakh, which has been repeatedly
stated and proven, said political reviewer, residing in Hungary,
Vuqar Seidov, commenting on the announcements of Armenian politicians,
who consider that PACE resolution does not comply with the European
system of values.

He said this was admitted by other countries, international
organizations and prominent politicians.

"Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh are not a separate people and Azerbaijan
is not a colonial empire to speak of the admissibility of this
principle. Azerbaijan is an ordinary state without any colonies and
Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh is an ordinary national minority. Do
Nagorno Karabakh Armenia have more preferences than the Hungarians
or South Slovakia or Austrians of Tirol, who even do not have an
autonomy? I think no.

Therefore, to attribute the Wilson principle of self-determination of
enslaved peoples to Nagorno Karabakh is similar to cooking a soup by
a chocolate pie receipt. Nagorno Karabakh is a historical oblast in
the very center of Azerbaijan, which became two-ethnic in the result
of application of article 15 of the 1828 Turkmenchay treaty. The very
fact of the appearance of the term "Nagorno Karabakh" in the result
of separation of several regions with majority Armenians from the
General Karabakh is a proof of hospitality of Azerbaijani people,
who offerred to the descendants of Armenian migrants an autonomy,
which Armenians have not done for the Azerbaijani national minority
in former Erivan khanate, currently called Armenia", said the reviewer
and added that o matter how much Armenians speak of the importance of
the right of nations for self-determination, it will never be equal
to the principle of territorial integrity and the latter will always
be more important that the right for self-determination.

He said the basic and the only document of international law,
mentioning the right for self-determination is the Helsinki Final
Act of 1975, particularly, article 1, paragraph 8. There is no other
document, except for the works of Woodrow Wilson and Vladimir Lenin.