SERZH SARGSYAN: IT’S TIME TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE TO SELF-DETERMINATION

armradio.am
26.09.2008 11:10

Speaking at the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly on 25
September, the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, said he
represented a country, which in recent weeks, had been in an
unacceptable situation. Blood had been shed in the South Caucasus,
and once again, innocent people had died because leaders failed to
bring a peaceful resolution to existing conflicts. The unsettling
expression "cold war" had again emerged, and the Assembly’s main task
should be a joint demand to unequivocally rule out such developments.

Indeed, he called for establishing a new viable structure, as it was
impossible to tackle today’s challenges exclusively with structures
established after Second World War. The world continued to respond
to today’s nettlesome challenges — terrorism, international crime
and drug trafficking among them — through institutions envisaged
to merely smooth over controversies. Regional cooperation could be
among the essential means to address such challenges, and Armenia
had always promoted such action as the most effective way to address
existing problems. Open borders and interrelated economic systems
were also crucial.

On rising food and fuel prices, he said the world continued to
witness unilateral sanctions and border closures. Existing problems
with neighbouring State s could not be solved without dialogue, and
with that in mind, he was pleased at Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
"bold decision" to accept his invitation to come to Yerevan as part
of the "football diplomacy" initiative. The time had come to solve
Armenian-Turkish problems, and Mr. Sargsyan was certain of the need
to move resolutely in that direction.

Events in the South Caucasus region held "very serious" lessons for
the world, he explained, saying first that the United Nations must
strictly follow the spirit of its Charter. Should any Member State
increase its military budget, among other things, it must receive a
rapid and firm response. "Prevention is preferable over cure," he said.

It was also time to seriously consider the right of people to
self-determination, and he opposed the idea that each claim be
resolved through secession. There was no doubt that to be viable,
such an outcome should be endorsed by all parties involved, which was
why Armenia continued to negotiate with Azerbaijan in the framework
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Minsk Group, seeking recognition by that country for the independent
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, which had been independent for two
decades. Those people had been subject to brutal war, and for years,
had been on the brink of extinction. They had neither a regular army
nor any ability or =0 Aintention to occupy any Azeri territory.

In recent months, a resolution related to one episode in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict had been adopted with only 30 of 146 States voting
in favour of it. A sensitive problem, with "deep roots and bloody
developments", had been decided upon by the majority to support one of
the parties. That outcome had been "more than predictable". He hoped
that Azerbaijan’s real interest was in the peaceful and comprehensive
resolution of the conflict. The process mediated by the Minsk Group
aimed to reach that goal, and Armenia had undertaken serious work
with the mediation of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Noting that this year marked the sixtieth anniversaries of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and of the Convention on
Genocide Prevention, he said that such anniversaries were more than
merely "important".

His country would do everything possible to advocate continuously for
the Genocide Convention, and he recognized that Armenia had "important
things to do" to guarantee the full implementation of the Universal
Declaration. On that road, Armenia was trying not to repeat others’
mistakes.