ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION-DASHNAKTSUTYUN BUREAU
Mher Lazarian 12/1, Yerevan, Armenia
Mailing Address: P.O.Box 123 – Yerevan, Armenia 0010
Tel.: (37410) 52-18-90, 52-19-66 – Fax: (37410) 52-14-53
E-mail: [email protected] Website:
DECLARATION
The events of the past week in the South Caucasus – the de facto state
of war that has come into being with all its tragic consequences, the
international tension these developments have fostered, and the
implications of these events for the future – reflect new realities in
our region that are of direct concern to Armenia and for all
Armenians.
The events in our immediate neighborhood have created new political
and economic challenges. Our first reaction, of course, is that of
sympathy for the thousands of human lives lost and harmed and damaged
destinies on all sides of this conflict.
The most pressing issue today is preventing similar situations from
developing in the future. The era of resolving inter-ethnic issues
through the use of force, as seen in the 1990’s, has passed, and the
recent events have once again proven, unnecessarily, that such conduct
has no prospect and is cause for tragedy.
On the one hand, it should be acknowledged that Georgia is our
immediate neighbor whose stability and development is of the utmost
importance to us, while Russia is our strategic partner and has a role
in the Caucasus. On the other hand, clearly, escalation of EU-RF-USA
relations to a confrontational level can not be beneficial for the
region.
In spite of assurances by Armenian officials that there are no
problems with the transport of goods to Armenia, we remain concerned
regarding this matter and expect that during this difficult situation,
a friendly Georgia will not take any steps to hinder such transport.
For the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun, this situation is extremely important in
three regards. First is the issue of reinforcing the right of the
people of Artsakh (Mountainous Karabakh) to determine their own
destiny through their expression of their right to self-determination.
Recent events have clearly demonstrated, that Azerbaijan’s
saber-rattling – that it wants to resolve the issue through the use of
force – not only has no prospect, but also that such threats will only
lead the region into destructive and ultimately unforeseeable
troubles. Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan. During the
negotiation process, we are compelled to defend our national interests
with greater clarity and in an even more comprehensive manner by
demanding that all parties first of all sign a legally binding
document undertaking that they will not use force as a means of
settling the conflict.
Second, regarding the Georgian-Armenians and specifically the
Armenian-populated Javakhk (Samtskhe-Javakheti) region, are the
issues of defending their security and rights as a national minority,
and of its autonomy. In this case we can not be indifferent and
express our hope and expectation that Georgia will act with utmost
responsibility and in accordance with the overriding principles of
international law.
The final issue is being fully aware of the necessity for national
unity regarding Armenia’s stability and the fundamental intra-state
and intra-national matters. This represents an issue of
responsibility for all Armenians in front of our people and our
history.
We hope that following the impetuous reactions, both the conflicting
parties and the international community will find ways to bring peace
to the region and resolve all outstanding problems in a civilized
manner. Armenia can and should contribute to these efforts.
The ARF-Dashnaktsutyun is confident and ready to do its part, so that
the foundations are laid for full cooperation and development in the
South Caucasus, so that all the peoples of this region will have the
opportunity to live in harmony.
A.R.F.-Dashnaktusyun Bureau
Yerevan, 15 August 2008